In June, the Victorian Collaborative Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing delivered its first Digital Health for Mental Health learning series.
This four-part webinar series explored how digital health can help us provide even better care for consumers, families and carers, while supporting a more connected, responsive and effective mental health system.
The series aligns with Capability 15: Uses digital technology and data to support wellbeing and care, highlighting the importance of building confidence in using digital tools to support mental health and wellbeing practice. Across the four sessions, 526 mental health practitioners joined us to explore key opportunities, challenges and emerging developments in digital health.
Session topics included:
- Digital Health 101 – with Dr Olivia Metcalf and Dr Belinda Davey, the Centre for the Digital Transformation of Health
- Evaluating Digital Tools – with Dr Lou Farrer, Australian National University (ANU)
- Cutting Edge Tools in Digital Mental Health – with the Orygen Digital team
- Legal, Social and Ethical Issues in Digital Mental Health – with Dr Piers Gooding, La Trobe University
In addition to building knowledge and confidence, the series provided insights into the barriers practitioners face when using digital tools in their work. Three key themes emerged. 77 per cent reported uncertainty about which tools to trust; 69 per cent had concerns about ethics and privacy; and 45 per cent reported a lack of organisational support for digital healthcare uptake. Suggestions for future sessions directly reflected this: participants also told us they would like more information about implementing digital tools in their workplaces (68%), understanding digital health policy and regulation (54%), and evaluating and choosing digital tools (51%). There is clear enthusiasm for practical, evidence-informed guidance in this rapidly evolving area.
We're already using this feedback to develop the next phase of our digital health learning program, with a second series in development. In the meantime, recordings of all four sessions are available on the Centre’s YouTube channel. We look forward to continuing the conversation about how digital tools can enhance care, improve access and support better outcomes for Victorian consumers, families, carers and the mental health workforce.