Privacy Concerns arising from the Interaction of Government Agencies and e-health
Concerns about personal information held by government departments and individuals’ privacy are not limited to people with disability and are in fact prevalent throughout the Australian community. The position of people with disability with regard to privacy is not different to the average Australian, except for the fact that people with disability are more likely to be in contact with more government agencies than the average Australian.
The e-health system will have a significant impact on people with disability who have frequent contact with the health system. The aim of the e-health system is to assist health care providers to share accurate and timely information about treatment histories and medications. While some people with disability will benefit from improved quality of care, some are concerned about privacy provisions and ease of use of the system. This is particularly the case for people with disability, such as people living with HIV and people with psychosocial disability, who are often selective in disclosing health conditions and treatments and are concerned about the stigma such disclosure can attract.412
