In this month’s health sector news, in response to the RNZCGP's concerns about COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, we bring you a range of COVID-19 vaccine resources to share and a flyer on new translated medicines brochures to share with your teams.
In Health Navigator NZ updates, we bring you news about Health Navigator NZ winning the ACC Patient Safety Award in the New Zealand Primary Healthcare Awards | He Tohu Mauri Ora and information to share on the website being free to access without mobile data. Finally, we’ve included an interesting article on whether health apps make us healthier.
Ngā mihi,
Dr Janine Bycroft
Clinical Director, Health Navigator Charitable Trust
Health news
NZ's COVID-free status relies on trust in vaccine, says RNZCGP medical director
The increase of vaccine hesitancy caused by misinformation about the safety of the COVID vaccine is frustrating, and needs to stop, according to Dr Bryan Betty, medical director at The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners.
To support trust in the vaccine Health Navigator NZ has put together a variety of information from a range of reputable sources about the COVID-19 vaccine that can be shared within your organsiation and with the public:
New multi-language fact sheets support safer use of medicines
Recently Health Navigator NZ developed brochures in multiple languages for patients on empagliflozin, rivaroxaban and dabigatran. Please share these with your colleagues. These brochures help people find out how to take the medicine safely, what to do if they miss a dose, things to bear in mind while taking it and when they should seek medical care for side effects.
You can find the translated brochures to share with patients below:
Empagliglozin brochure is available in English, te reo Māori, Samoan and Tongan (view under Resources in the side bar)
Rivaroxaban and dabigatran are available in English,Cook Islands Māori, Hindi, Korean, Samoan, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, te reo Māori and Tongan (view under Resources in the side bar)
The translated brochures are a useful tool for in-patients, out-patient clinics, primary care teams and pharmacists. If you would like to highlight the availability of these brochures within your organisation you can use this flyer. And if you have any suggestions for other topics or languages please let us know at sandra@healthnavigator.org.nz.
Health Navigator NZ news
Health Navigator NZ wins ACC Patient Safety Award in NZ Primary Healthcare Awards
The Health Navigator NZ team was delighted to win the ACC Patient Safety Award category of the 2021 New Zealand Primary Healthcare Awards | He Tohu Mauri Ora. The awards support collaboration in the primary healthcare sector to improve health and wellbeing outcomes.
Health Navigator NZ's entry focused on improving medicine safety through a range of resources, including website content, medicine dose calculators, translated medicine fact sheets and videos on how to use medicine devices.
You can find some of Health Navigator NZ's award-winning patient safety content here:
No data? No problem!
Late last year Health Navigator NZ became a zero-rated data (also known as sponsored data) website. This mean that all mobile data used when whānau access the Health Navigator NZ website is charged to the Ministry of Health.
The cost of mobile data can be a barrier to whānau accessing essential health and wellbeing information or digital services, so we would like you to help share the great news far and wide.
You can share Health Navigator NZ's Facebook post from here or use the following copy and access a slideshow to use here.
Sample copy to use:
No data? No problem. You can access information on the Health Navigator NZ websitewithout using mobile data if you use the Spark, Skinny, Vodafone or 2degrees mobile networks. That means if you have run out of data or have a phone with no data on it, you will still be able to go to the Health Navigator NZ website to find out about health conditions, medicines, healthy living and so much more.
But even if you have data on your phone, you can still visit theHealth Navigator NZ site – for free!
Health app library news
Do health apps make us healthier?
This first-of-its-kind study uses data from major stakeholders (digital app platforms, hospitals, clinics, doctors, nutritionists, pharmacists) to try and answer the question, do health apps make us healthier?
Yes, they can. However, surprising results about the effectiveness of personalised vs. non-personalised prompts and reminders will be of interest to many.
How Health Navigator NZ can help you Studies show learning is enhanced when whānau are given quality written or online information to support their retention and understanding following a consultation or hospital admission. The Health Navigator NZ website is designed to make it easy for your clinical teams to give people relevant New Zealand information and self-care resources.
You can print out topic sheets, share pages via email and social media or jot down topic suggestions on our wallet cards for whānau to look up online at home. We also have posters and rack cards that are ideal for waiting rooms. Order here
**Reminder: This clinical update is to give DHBs, PHOs and other key health groups an overview of what's happening in the Long-Term Conditions and Health Navigator space. We bring you news and links to relevant health promotion topics for the month. As always, we are keen to hear from you about ways we can support your region and population. Please email comms@healthnavigator.org.nz
