HEALTHDIRECT

Healthdirect Australia

Tracked since 7 June 2026 · 2 changes of substance across 4 captures · last changed 20 Aug 2026

The story so far

How to read this
  1. First captured by the tracker.

  2. substantive Healthdirect names the AI tools behind each use, discloses website translation and GP consultation AI-scribes, and adds safeguards for translated content.

    read by Claude Opus 5
    • New use disclosed: website translation via Google Translate, with quality assurance, consumer feedback and power to disable translations
    • New use disclosed: AI-scribes (Heidi or Lyrebird) recording GP consultations on 1800MEDICARE (GP)
    • Tools named for existing uses: Infermedica triage, Microsoft Copilot, Claude Enterprise, Adobe Firefly, AWS Kiro
    • Links to a new quality and safety of triage service statement
    • Future-use plans widened to phone-line translation and summarising in commercial AI assistants
    • Effective and last-reviewed dates moved from November 2025 to June 2026; GP helpline renamed 1800MEDICARE (GP)
    • Added: Named tool added: AWS Kiro
    • Added: Named tool added: Adobe Firefly
    • Added: Named tool added: Claude Enterprise
    • Added: Named tool added: Google Translate
    • Added: Named tool added: Heidi
    • Added: Named tool added: Infermedica
    • Added: Named tool added: Lyrebird
    • Added: Named tool added: Microsoft Copilot
    • Added: New commitment (will): Quality assure translations via consumer feedback, targeted reviews and monitoring; address issues and may disable translations
    • Changed: Stated last-updated date: 2025-11 → 2026-06
    Show the words that changed ↓
  3. substantive Drops the healthdirect mobile app from the list of digital services covered by the statement.

    read by Claude Opus 5
    • Removed: healthdirect mobile app from the list of digital services in scope
    Show the words that changed ↓

What the statement says

How to read this

Healthdirect Australia says it uses AI to support nurse and Symptom Checker triage decisions, to scribe GP consultations, to translate website content, to analyse service quality, to generate some visual content and to assist corporate tasks such as content organisation and code automation. It governs this through its Clinical Governance and Quality Framework, with AI-specific quality assurance before deployment and human review of AI-generated visuals, while acknowledging the public interacts with the Symptom Checker's AI and translations without human assistance. read by Claude Opus 5

What it says AI is used for

  • Decision making and administrative action
  • Analytics for insights
  • Workplace productivity
  • Image processing
  • Service delivery
  • Corporate and enabling

Named tools: Infermedica, Microsoft Copilot, Claude Enterprise, Google Translate, Heidi, Lyrebird, Adobe Firefly, AWS Kiro

Public-facing AI: yes, without human review

Safeguards named: human review of outputs, testing or evaluation, a governance body, privacy or security controls

Against the Standard 6/8

  • Present:Intentions behind AI use
  • Present:Use classified by DTA usage pattern or domain
  • Present:Public-facing use addressed
  • Present:Monitoring and protection measures
  • Missing:Compliance with the policy
  • Missing:Compliance with legislation
  • Present:Date last updated
  • Present:Public contact

What the policy requiresPolicy v2.0

Accountable official
not mentioned
Strategic position on AI
not mentioned
AI use-case register
not mentioned
Staff training
not mentioned
Policy version referenced
not referenced

What the AI Plan asksAI Plan

Chief AI Officer
not mentioned

Currency as of 29 Aug 2026

Review cadence
not stated
Says it was last updated
Jun 2026
Last change we observed
20 Aug 2026
Updated since policy 2.0
yes
Annual review
within a year of its own date

Commitments

  • will notSymptom Checker AI does not store or use your personal information in the model
  • human oversightAll AI-generated visuals are reviewed by humans for accuracy, appropriateness and brand alignment
  • human oversightAI-written software routines are tested and assured by our technical team
  • willApply AI-specific quality assurance methodologies before using AI systems
  • willMonitor Symptom Checker performance with Clinical Governance team involvement against national quality and safety standards
  • willQuality assure translations via consumer feedback, targeted reviews and monitoring; address issues and may disable translations

The statement

How to read this

Effective as of June 2026

At Healthdirect Australia, we are committed to delivering virtual and digital health services that meet consumer care needs and contribute to a sustainable health system. Healthdirect relies on technology to support over 85 million interactions with the community every year. This includes the safe and responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI).

The aim of this Statement is to be transparent about how we use AI, and how we go about ensuring it is safe.

In this Statement, we describe:Also appears in 3 other agenciesANMMMDBAMOADOPH

  • how we ensure quality and safetyAlso appears in 1 other agencyMDBA
  • the different types of AI

Services covered by this statement

While we do not use AI across all our services, this Transparency Statement covers our approach to considering and using AI across our operations, which includes:

  • healthdirect helpline (also known as 1800MEDICARE, and NURSE-ON-CALL helpline in Victoria)
  • Pregnancy, Birth and Baby website
  • Digital products (available in some of our digital services)
  • National Health Services Directory (NHSD)

Why does Healthdirect use AI?

To improve quality and safety

Healthdirect has a strong history of using technology to provide Australians with high quality advice and information. AI presents an opportunity, along with other new technologies, to help us achieve our mission. We are committed to helping Australians actively manage and improve their health by providing trusted information and virtual services anywhere and at any time.

The AI tools we use inform the health advice we give to consumers every day by drawing on a large knowledge base of evidence that is clinically validated by qualified people. This means advice is reliable and consistent, contributing to the quality and safety of advice we provide.

To increase our productivity

AI provides opportunities for us to be more productive in how we provide virtual health services. This means we can support the growing number of Australians who need access to free, 24/7 health advice and connection to care.

As Healthdirect is government and taxpayer funded, finding efficiencies in our day-to-day work contributes to a sustainable health system. We are also aware of pressures on the Australian healthcare workforce. We seek to use technology including AI to reduce the time spent by our healthcare professionals on administrative and manual processes. This ensures they spend their time on the highest value work such as engaging with consumers.

Healthdirect uses AI for the following purposes.

  • To support the decision-making of our nurses who provide advice to consumers on the healthdirect helpline, also known as 1800MEDICARE, and NURSE-ON-CALL helpline in Victoria (using Infermedica triage tool).
  • To make tailored recommendations as to what healthcare you should seek when using the healthdirect Symptom Checker (using Infermedica triage tool). Recommendations are responsive to the information you have provided about yourself, and your health concern.
  • To analyse and improve service delivery quality and efficiency (using Microsoft CoPilot and Claude Enterprise).
  • To translate some information on our website into languages other than English (using Google Translate).
  • To assist the GPs on 1800MEDICARE (GP) to record details about the consultation in our system by using an AI-scribe (using either Heidi or Lyrebird)
  • We sometimes use generative AI technologies to produce visual content, such as illustrations and graphics, that may appear in our reports and on our websites (using Adobe Firefly).
  • All AI-generated visuals are reviewed by humans to make sure they meet our standards for accuracy, appropriateness and alignment with our brand values. We remain committed to the transparent use of AI in all aspects of our creative and operational processes.

Corporate and enabling activities

  • To assist with how the large volume of information published on our websites is organised and referenced.
  • To write software routines that automate data management activities before testing and assurance by our technical team (using Microsoft Copilot and AWS Kiro).

This classification of how we use AI is based on guidelines developed by the Commonwealth of Australia’s Digital Transformation Agency. More information is available here: digital.gov.au/policy/ai/resources/use-classification

You can read more about the AI software and systems we use in our Quality and safety of Healthdirect’s triage service statement.

Where you may interact with AI without human assistance

Healthdirect provides a self-help health tool called the Symptom Checker. The system that powers the Symptom Checker uses AI to compute and recommend the most appropriate healthcare for you. This AI uses a probabilistic model to make recommendations. The model is based on expert clinical knowledge and a large database of empirical evidence that is constantly monitored and managed by qualified professionals both within Healthdirect and our technology partner Infermedica.

You do not have to enter personally identifiable information into the Symptom Checker. This means the AI does not store, or use, your personal information as part of the model.

The healthcare recommendations the AI can compute are restricted to the rules of the probability model. These are defined by qualified clinical experts and technologists. It does not use generative AI.

Healthdirect monitors the performance of the Symptom Checker, and our Clinical Governance team are actively involved in its management to ensure it meets national quality and safety standards.

The Healthdirect website may use AI to translate content for people who speak languages other than English. Translated information is general only, is not a substitute for professional advice, and may contain errors and inaccuracies. Every translated page seeks feedback from the consumer on whether the translation is clear and easy to understand.

To manage this risk, Healthdirect regularly undertakes quality assurance measures, including considering consumer feedback, targeted reviews of translations, and regular monitoring and reporting. Where we identify issues we will address these and may disable translations in line with Healthdirect’s clinical and content governance processes.

Ensuring quality and safety of healthcare

Healthdirect’s Clinical Governance and Quality Framework applies to all consumer health and health related services provided, managed or commissioned by Healthdirect. The Framework aligns with national quality standards and ensures that our services are evidence-based, high quality and safe. This includes governance of the technology we use within our healthcare services, including AI.

Under Healthdirect’s Clinical Governance and Quality Framework we maintain robust, integrated safety and quality systems to actively manage and improve our services.

Under the auspices of the Clinical Governance and Quality Framework, we apply quality assurance methodologies that are specific to uses of AI before we use them. More information on how we did this for the system supporting our Symptom Checker is available here: about.healthdirect.gov.au/evaluations

In the future, Healthdirect will consider the use of AI to:

  • Improve service accessibility, for example through language translation on our phone line.
  • Simplify and summarise health information to make it easier for consumers to understand and follow our advice, both in Healthdirect controlled interfaces and outside (such as in commercially offered AI assistants).
  • Continue to improve our own workplace productivity.

AI is the ability of a computer system to perform tasks that would normally require human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, and making decisions. There are different types of AI.

This type of AI follows human-coded rules based on expert knowledge and real-world experience to reach conclusions and produce outputs such as recommendations.

This type of AI self-learns patterns from large sets of data, then compares input it receives with that trained knowledge to produce outputs such as predictions, classifications, or recommendations.

This type of AI is a field based on machine learning that can create new content, such as text, images, voice, video and code by learning from data patterns and predicting a response to requests.

How to contact us about our use of AIAlso appears in 2 other agenciesACQSCFFMA

You can contact our Chief Insights Officer as follows:

Email : info@healthdirect.org.au

Chief Insights Officer
Healthdirect Australia
PO Box K411
Haymarket NSW 1240
Australia

Statement text © Healthdirect Australia, reproduced for transparency tracking (most agency content is CC BY 4.0 — check the original for specifics).

Every revision

Every capture the daily scrape recorded that differed from the last, including edits with no change of substance. Pick a dot to view the statement as it stood at that capture.

  1. substantive-28

    Drops the healthdirect mobile app from the list of digital services covered by the statement.

    read by Claude Opus 5
    View diff
    Effective as of June 2026 ## Introduction At Healthdirect Australia, we are committed to delivering virtual and digital health services that meet consumer care needs and contribute to a sustainable health system. Healthdirect relies on technology to support over 85 million interactions with the community every year. This includes the safe and responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI). The aim of this Statement is to be transparent about how we use AI, and how we go about ensuring it is safe. In this Statement, we describe: - why we use AI - how we use AI - how we ensure quality and safety - the different types of AI ## Services covered by this statement While we do not use AI across all our services, this Transparency Statement covers our approach to considering and using AI across our operations, which includes: - Helpline services - healthdirect helpline (also known as 1800MEDICARE, and NURSE-ON-CALL helpline in Victoria) - 1800MEDICARE (GP) - Pregnancy, Birth and Baby - health alert lines - Digital services - healthdirect website - healthdirect mobile app - Pregnancy, Birth and Baby website - Digital products (available in some of our digital services) - User account - Symptom Checker - Service Finder - Question Builder - BMI calculator - National digital infrastructure - National Health Services Directory (NHSD) ## Why does Healthdirect use AI? ### To improve quality and safety Healthdirect has a strong history of using technology to provide Australians with high quality advice and information. AI presents an opportunity, along with other new technologies, to help us achieve our mission. We are committed to helping Australians actively manage and improve their health by providing trusted information and virtual services anywhere and at any time. The AI tools we use inform the health advice we give to consumers every day by drawing on a large knowledge base of evidence that is clinically validated by qualified people. This means advice is reliable and consistent, contributing to the quality and safety of advice we provide. ### To increase our productivity AI provides opportunities for us to be more productive in how we provide virtual health services. This means we can support the growing number of Australians who need access to free, 24/7 health advice and connection to care. As Healthdirect is government and taxpayer funded, finding efficiencies in our day-to-day work contributes to a sustainable health system. We are also aware of pressures on the Australian healthcare workforce. We seek to use technology including AI to reduce the time spent by our healthcare professionals on administrative and manual processes. This ensures they spend their time on the highest value work such as engaging with consumers. ## How do we use AI? Healthdirect uses AI for the following purposes. ### Service delivery - To support the decision-making of our nurses who provide advice to consumers on the healthdirect helpline, also known as 1800MEDICARE, and NURSE-ON-CALL helpline in Victoria (using Infermedica triage tool). - To make tailored recommendations as to what healthcare you should seek when using the healthdirect Symptom Checker (using Infermedica triage tool). Recommendations are responsive to the information you have provided about yourself, and your health concern. - To analyse and improve service delivery quality and efficiency (using Microsoft CoPilot and Claude Enterprise). - To translate some information on our website into languages other than English (using Google Translate). - To assist the GPs on 1800MEDICARE (GP) to record details about the consultation in our system by using an AI-scribe (using either Heidi or Lyrebird) ### Visual content generation - We sometimes use generative AI technologies to produce visual content, such as illustrations and graphics, that may appear in our reports and on our websites (using Adobe Firefly). - All AI-generated visuals are reviewed by humans to make sure they meet our standards for accuracy, appropriateness and alignment with our brand values. We remain committed to the transparent use of AI in all aspects of our creative and operational processes. ### Corporate and enabling activities - To assist with how the large volume of information published on our websites is organised and referenced. - To write software routines that automate data management activities before testing and assurance by our technical team (using Microsoft Copilot and AWS Kiro). This classification of how we use AI is based on guidelines developed by the Commonwealth of Australia’s Digital Transformation Agency. More information is available here: [digital.gov.au/policy/ai/resources/use-classification](https://www.digital.gov.au/policy/ai/resources/use-classification) You can read more about the AI software and systems we use in our [Quality and safety of Healthdirect’s triage service statement](https://about.healthdirect.gov.au/quality-and-safety-of-healthdirects-triage-service-statement). ## Where you may interact with AI without human assistance Healthdirect provides a self-help health tool called the Symptom Checker. The system that powers the Symptom Checker uses AI to compute and recommend the most appropriate healthcare for you. This AI uses a probabilistic model to make recommendations. The model is based on expert clinical knowledge and a large database of empirical evidence that is constantly monitored and managed by qualified professionals both within Healthdirect and our technology partner Infermedica. You do not have to enter personally identifiable information into the Symptom Checker. This means the AI does not store, or use, your personal information as part of the model. The healthcare recommendations the AI can compute are restricted to the rules of the probability model. These are defined by qualified clinical experts and technologists. It does not use generative AI. Healthdirect monitors the performance of the Symptom Checker, and our Clinical Governance team are actively involved in its management to ensure it meets national quality and safety standards. The Healthdirect website may use AI to translate content for people who speak languages other than English. Translated information is general only, is not a substitute for professional advice, and may contain errors and inaccuracies. Every translated page seeks feedback from the consumer on whether the translation is clear and easy to understand. To manage this risk, Healthdirect regularly undertakes quality assurance measures, including considering consumer feedback, targeted reviews of translations, and regular monitoring and reporting. Where we identify issues we will address these and may disable translations in line with Healthdirect’s clinical and content governance processes. ## Ensuring quality and safety of healthcare Healthdirect’s [Clinical Governance and Quality Framework](https://media.healthdirect.org.au/publications/Clinical-Governance-and-Quality-Framework.pdf) applies to all consumer health and health related services provided, managed or commissioned by Healthdirect. The Framework aligns with national quality standards and ensures that our services are evidence-based, high quality and safe. This includes governance of the technology we use within our healthcare services, including AI. Under Healthdirect’s Clinical Governance and Quality Framework we maintain robust, integrated safety and quality systems to actively manage and improve our services. Under the auspices of the Clinical Governance and Quality Framework, we apply quality assurance methodologies that are specific to uses of AI before we use them. More information on how we did this for the system supporting our Symptom Checker is available here: [about.healthdirect.gov.au/evaluations](https://about.healthdirect.gov.au/evaluations) ## Future use of AI In the future, Healthdirect will consider the use of AI to: - Improve service accessibility, for example through language translation on our phone line. - Simplify and summarise health information to make it easier for consumers to understand and follow our advice, both in Healthdirect controlled interfaces and outside (such as in commercially offered AI assistants). - Continue to improve our own workplace productivity. ## Definitions ##### What is AI? AI is the ability of a computer system to perform tasks that would normally require human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, and making decisions. There are different types of AI. ##### Probabilistic AI This type of AI follows human-coded rules based on expert knowledge and real-world experience to reach conclusions and produce outputs such as recommendations. ##### Machine Learning AI This type of AI self-learns patterns from large sets of data, then compares input it receives with that trained knowledge to produce outputs such as predictions, classifications, or recommendations. ##### Generative AI (‘Gen’ AI) This type of AI is a field based on machine learning that can create new content, such as text, images, voice, video and code by learning from data patterns and predicting a response to requests. ## How to contact us about our use of AI You can contact our Chief Insights Officer as follows: **Email** : [info@healthdirect.org.au](mailto:info@healthdirect.org.au) **Postal address:** Chief Insights Officer\ Healthdirect Australia\ PO Box K411\ Haymarket NSW 1240\ Australia Last reviewed: June 2026
    edb05cd
  2. scrape noise-117

    Only the repeated "BACK TO TOP" page navigation links have dropped out of the capture; the statement's text is unchanged.

    read by Claude Opus 5
    View diff
    Effective as of June 2026 ## Introduction At Healthdirect Australia, we are committed to delivering virtual and digital health services that meet consumer care needs and contribute to a sustainable health system. Healthdirect relies on technology to support over 85 million interactions with the community every year. This includes the safe and responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI). The aim of this Statement is to be transparent about how we use AI, and how we go about ensuring it is safe. In this Statement, we describe: - why we use AI - how we use AI - how we ensure quality and safety - the different types of AI BACK TO TOP ## Services covered by this statement While we do not use AI across all our services, this Transparency Statement covers our approach to considering and using AI across our operations, which includes: - Helpline services - healthdirect helpline (also known as 1800MEDICARE, and NURSE-ON-CALL helpline in Victoria) - 1800MEDICARE (GP) - Pregnancy, Birth and Baby - health alert lines - Digital services - healthdirect website - healthdirect mobile app - Pregnancy, Birth and Baby website - Digital products (available in some of our digital services) - User account - Symptom Checker - Service Finder - Question Builder - BMI calculator - National digital infrastructure - National Health Services Directory (NHSD) BACK TO TOP ## Why does Healthdirect use AI? ### To improve quality and safety Healthdirect has a strong history of using technology to provide Australians with high quality advice and information. AI presents an opportunity, along with other new technologies, to help us achieve our mission. We are committed to helping Australians actively manage and improve their health by providing trusted information and virtual services anywhere and at any time. The AI tools we use inform the health advice we give to consumers every day by drawing on a large knowledge base of evidence that is clinically validated by qualified people. This means advice is reliable and consistent, contributing to the quality and safety of advice we provide. ### To increase our productivity AI provides opportunities for us to be more productive in how we provide virtual health services. This means we can support the growing number of Australians who need access to free, 24/7 health advice and connection to care. As Healthdirect is government and taxpayer funded, finding efficiencies in our day-to-day work contributes to a sustainable health system. We are also aware of pressures on the Australian healthcare workforce. We seek to use technology including AI to reduce the time spent by our healthcare professionals on administrative and manual processes. This ensures they spend their time on the highest value work such as engaging with consumers. BACK TO TOP ## How do we use AI? Healthdirect uses AI for the following purposes. ### Service delivery - To support the decision-making of our nurses who provide advice to consumers on the healthdirect helpline, also known as 1800MEDICARE, and NURSE-ON-CALL helpline in Victoria (using Infermedica triage tool). - To make tailored recommendations as to what healthcare you should seek when using the healthdirect Symptom Checker (using Infermedica triage tool). Recommendations are responsive to the information you have provided about yourself, and your health concern. - To analyse and improve service delivery quality and efficiency (using Microsoft CoPilot and Claude Enterprise). - To translate some information on our website into languages other than English (using Google Translate). - To assist the GPs on 1800MEDICARE (GP) to record details about the consultation in our system by using an AI-scribe (using either Heidi or Lyrebird) ### Visual content generation - We sometimes use generative AI technologies to produce visual content, such as illustrations and graphics, that may appear in our reports and on our websites (using Adobe Firefly). - All AI-generated visuals are reviewed by humans to make sure they meet our standards for accuracy, appropriateness and alignment with our brand values. We remain committed to the transparent use of AI in all aspects of our creative and operational processes. ### Corporate and enabling activities - To assist with how the large volume of information published on our websites is organised and referenced. - To write software routines that automate data management activities before testing and assurance by our technical team (using Microsoft Copilot and AWS Kiro). This classification of how we use AI is based on guidelines developed by the Commonwealth of Australia’s Digital Transformation Agency. More information is available here: [digital.gov.au/policy/ai/resources/use-classification](https://www.digital.gov.au/policy/ai/resources/use-classification) You can read more about the AI software and systems we use in our [Quality and safety of Healthdirect’s triage service statement](https://about.healthdirect.gov.au/quality-and-safety-of-healthdirects-triage-service-statement). BACK TO TOP ## Where you may interact with AI without human assistance Healthdirect provides a self-help health tool called the Symptom Checker. The system that powers the Symptom Checker uses AI to compute and recommend the most appropriate healthcare for you. This AI uses a probabilistic model to make recommendations. The model is based on expert clinical knowledge and a large database of empirical evidence that is constantly monitored and managed by qualified professionals both within Healthdirect and our technology partner Infermedica. You do not have to enter personally identifiable information into the Symptom Checker. This means the AI does not store, or use, your personal information as part of the model. The healthcare recommendations the AI can compute are restricted to the rules of the probability model. These are defined by qualified clinical experts and technologists. It does not use generative AI. Healthdirect monitors the performance of the Symptom Checker, and our Clinical Governance team are actively involved in its management to ensure it meets national quality and safety standards. The Healthdirect website may use AI to translate content for people who speak languages other than English. Translated information is general only, is not a substitute for professional advice, and may contain errors and inaccuracies. Every translated page seeks feedback from the consumer on whether the translation is clear and easy to understand. To manage this risk, Healthdirect regularly undertakes quality assurance measures, including considering consumer feedback, targeted reviews of translations, and regular monitoring and reporting. Where we identify issues we will address these and may disable translations in line with Healthdirect’s clinical and content governance processes. BACK TO TOP ## Ensuring quality and safety of healthcare Healthdirect’s [Clinical Governance and Quality Framework](https://media.healthdirect.org.au/publications/Clinical-Governance-and-Quality-Framework.pdf) applies to all consumer health and health related services provided, managed or commissioned by Healthdirect. The Framework aligns with national quality standards and ensures that our services are evidence-based, high quality and safe. This includes governance of the technology we use within our healthcare services, including AI. Under Healthdirect’s Clinical Governance and Quality Framework we maintain robust, integrated safety and quality systems to actively manage and improve our services. Under the auspices of the Clinical Governance and Quality Framework, we apply quality assurance methodologies that are specific to uses of AI before we use them. More information on how we did this for the system supporting our Symptom Checker is available here: [about.healthdirect.gov.au/evaluations](https://about.healthdirect.gov.au/evaluations) BACK TO TOP ## Future use of AI In the future, Healthdirect will consider the use of AI to: - Improve service accessibility, for example through language translation on our phone line. - Simplify and summarise health information to make it easier for consumers to understand and follow our advice, both in Healthdirect controlled interfaces and outside (such as in commercially offered AI assistants). - Continue to improve our own workplace productivity. BACK TO TOP ## Definitions ##### What is AI? AI is the ability of a computer system to perform tasks that would normally require human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, and making decisions. There are different types of AI. ##### Probabilistic AI This type of AI follows human-coded rules based on expert knowledge and real-world experience to reach conclusions and produce outputs such as recommendations. ##### Machine Learning AI This type of AI self-learns patterns from large sets of data, then compares input it receives with that trained knowledge to produce outputs such as predictions, classifications, or recommendations. ##### Generative AI (‘Gen’ AI) This type of AI is a field based on machine learning that can create new content, such as text, images, voice, video and code by learning from data patterns and predicting a response to requests. BACK TO TOP ## How to contact us about our use of AI You can contact our Chief Insights Officer as follows: **Email** : [info@healthdirect.org.au](mailto:info@healthdirect.org.au) **Postal address:** Chief Insights Officer\ Healthdirect Australia\ PO Box K411\ Haymarket NSW 1240\ Australia BACK TO TOP Last reviewed: June 2026
    d4197a9
  3. substantive+1480

    Healthdirect names the AI tools behind each use, discloses website translation and GP consultation AI-scribes, and adds safeguards for translated content.

    read by Claude Opus 5
    View diff
    Effective as of NovemberJune 20256 ## Introduction At Healthdirect Australia, we are committed to delivering virtual and digital health services that meet consumer care needs and contribute to a sustainable health system. Healthdirect relies on technology to support over 85 million interactions with the community every year. This includes the safe and responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI). The aim of this Statement is to be transparent about how we use AI, and how we go about ensuring it is safe. In this Statement, we describe: - why we use AI - how we use AI - how we ensure quality and safety - the different types of AI BACK TO TOP ## Services covered by this statement While we do not use AI across all our services, this Transparency Statement covers our approach to considering and using AI across our operations, which includes: - Helpline services - healthdirect helpline (also known as 1800MEDICARE, and NURSE-ON-CALL helpline in Victoria) - healthdirect GP helpline1800MEDICARE (GP) - Pregnancy, Birth and Baby - health alert lines - Digital services - healthdirect website - healthdirect mobile app - Pregnancy, Birth and Baby website - Digital products (available in some of our digital services) - User account - Symptom Checker - Service Finder - Question Builder - BMI calculator - National digital infrastructure - National Health Services Directory (NHSD) BACK TO TOP ## Why does Healthdirect use AI? ### To improve quality and safety Healthdirect has a strong history of using technology to provide Australians with high quality advice and information. AI presents an opportunity, along with other new technologies, to help us achieve our mission. We are committed to helping Australians actively manage and improve their health by providing trusted information and virtual services anywhere and at any time. The AI tools we use inform the health advice we give to consumers every day by drawing on a large knowledge base of evidence that is clinically validated by qualified people. This means advice is reliable and consistent, contributing to the quality and safety of advice we provide. ### To increase our productivity AI provides opportunities for us to be more productive in how we provide virtual health services. This means we can support the growing number of Australians who need access to free, 24/7 health advice and connection to care. As Healthdirect is government and taxpayer funded, finding efficiencies in our day-to-day work contributes to a sustainable health system. We are also aware of pressures on the Australian healthcare workforce. We seek to use technology including AI to reduce the time spent by our healthcare professionals on administrative and manual processes. This ensures they spend their time on the highest value work such as engaging with consumers. BACK TO TOP ## How do we use AI? Healthdirect uses AI for the following purposes. ### Service delivery - To support the decision -making of our nurses who provide advice to consumers on the healthdirect helpline, (also known as 1800MEDICARE, and NURSE-ON-CALL helpline in Victoria (using Infermedica triage tool). - To make tailored recommendations as to what healthcare you should seek when using the healthdirect Symptom Checker (using Infermedica triage tool). Recommendations are responsive to the information you have provided about yourself, and your health concern. - To analyse and improve service delivery quality and efficiency. (using Microsoft CoPilot and Claude Enterprise). - To translate some information on our website into languages other than English (using Google Translate). - To assist the GPs on 1800MEDICARE (GP) to record details about the consultation in our system by using an AI-scribe (using either Heidi or Lyrebird) ### Visual content generation - We sometimes use generative AI technologies to produce visual content, such as illustrations and graphics, that may appear in our reports and on our websites (using Adobe Firefly). - All AI-generated visuals are reviewed by humans to make sure they meet our standards for accuracy, appropriateness and alignment with our brand values. We remain committed to the transparent use of AI in all aspects of our creative and operational processes. ### Corporate and enabling activities - To assist with how the large volume of information published on our websites is organised and referenced. - To write software routines that automate data management activities before testing and assurance by our technical team (using Microsoft Copilot and AWS Kiro). This classification of how we use AI is based on guidelines developed by the Commonwealth of Australia’s Digital Transformation Agency. More information is available here: [digital.gov.au/policy/ai/resources/use-classification](https://www.digital.gov.au/policy/ai/resources/use-classification) You can read more about the AI software and systems we use in our [Quality and safety of Healthdirect’s triage service statement](https://about.healthdirect.gov.au/quality-and-safety-of-healthdirects-triage-service-statement). BACK TO TOP ## Where you may interact with AI without human assistance Healthdirect provides a self-help health tool called the Symptom Checker. The system that powers the Symptom Checker uses AI to compute and recommend the most appropriate healthcare for you. This AI uses a probabilistic model to make recommendations. The model is based on expert clinical knowledge and a large database of empirical evidence that is constantly monitored and managed by qualified professionals both within Healthdirect and our technology partner Infermedica. You do not have to enter personally identifiable information into the Symptom Checker. This means the AI does not store, or use, your personal information as part of the model. The healthcare recommendations the AI can compute are restricted to the rules of the probability model. These are defined by qualified clinical experts and technologists. It does not use generative AI. Healthdirect monitors the performance of the Symptom Checker, and our Clinical Governance team are actively involved in its management to ensure it meets national quality and safety standards. The Healthdirect website may use AI to translate content for people who speak languages other than English. Translated information is general only, is not a substitute for professional advice, and may contain errors and inaccuracies. Every translated page seeks feedback from the consumer on whether the translation is clear and easy to understand. To manage this risk, Healthdirect regularly undertakes quality assurance measures, including considering consumer feedback, targeted reviews of translations, and regular monitoring and reporting. Where we identify issues we will address these and may disable translations in line with Healthdirect’s clinical and content governance processes. BACK TO TOP ## Ensuring quality and safety of healthcare Healthdirect’s [Clinical Governance and Quality Framework](https://media.healthdirect.org.au/publications/Clinical-Governance-and-Quality-Framework.pdf) applies to all consumer health and health related services provided, managed or commissioned by Healthdirect. The Framework aligns with national quality standards and ensures that our services are evidence-based, high quality and safe. This includes governance of the technology we use within our healthcare services, including AI. Under Healthdirect’s Clinical Governance and Quality Framework we maintain robust, integrated safety and quality systems to actively manage and improve our services. Under the auspices of the Clinical Governance and Quality Framework, we apply quality assurance methodologies that are specific to uses of AI before we use them. More information on how we did this for the system supporting our Symptom Checker is available here: [about.healthdirect.gov.au/evaluations](https://about.healthdirect.gov.au/evaluations) BACK TO TOP ## Future use of AI In the future, Healthdirect will consider the use of AI to: - Improve service accessibility, for example through language translation on our phone line. - Simplify and summarise health information to make it easier for consumers to understand and follow our advice, both in Healthdirect controlled interfaces and outside (such as in commercially offered AI assistants). - Continue to improve our own workplace productivity. BACK TO TOP ## Definitions ##### What is AI? AI is the ability of a computer system to perform tasks that would normally require human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, and making decisions. There are different types of AI. ##### Probabilistic AI This type of AI follows human-coded rules based on expert knowledge and real-world experience to reach conclusions and produce outputs such as recommendations. ##### Machine Learning AI This type of AI self-learns patterns from large sets of data, then compares input it receives with that trained knowledge to produce outputs such as predictions, classifications, or recommendations. ##### Generative AI (‘Gen’ AI) This type of AI is an emerging field based on machine learning that can create new content, such as text, images, voice, video and code by learning from data patterns and predicting a response to requests. BACK TO TOP ## How to contact us about our use of AI You can contact our Chief Insights Officer as follows: **Email** : [info@healthdirect.org.au](mailto:info@healthdirect.org.au) **Postal address:** Chief Insights Officer\ Healthdirect Australia\ PO Box K411\ Haymarket NSW 1240\ Australia BACK TO TOP Last reviewed: NovemberJune 20256
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