PULSE

This week on Pulse: Hot Topics, Louise and George explore one question that underpins the future of digital health: how do we build trust?

They begin with Australia's latest healthcare cyberattack and New Zealand's response to one of theirs, asking if cybersecurity should be considered a patient safety issue rather than simply an IT problem. 

The discussion then turns to the World Health Organization's first AI Readiness Assessment for Europe and what it reveals about the gap between rapid AI adoption and the governance needed to support it safely.

The conversation moves to healthcare investment, examining Rock Health's latest funding report, new evidence on the economics of AI, and whether venture capital is backing the innovations that will deliver the greatest value for patients. 

Louise and George also discuss how patients are already using AI, drawing on new research from Microsoft and the Commonwealth Fund that reveals where people trust AI, and where they still want human care.

Finally, they explore one of the first major lawsuits involving ChatGPT and alleged medical harm, asking how accountability will evolve as consumers increasingly rely on generative AI for health advice.

Recommendations:
Clinicians – be part of the research into clinician use of AI, open globally Link
Athens Digital Health Week, 23–25 February 2027, Royal Olympic Hotel, Athens Link

Resources:
Action Plan aims to strengthen Health NZ digital security, Pulse+IT (Reesh Lyon) — Link
Health NZ Action Plan - Link
Partnered Health cyber incident statement — Link
WHO Europe statement: Govern AI in health before the gaps become irreversible — Link
WHO report: AI is reshaping health systems — state of readiness across the European Union — Link
Rock Health H1 2026 Funding and Market Overview — Link
A systematic review of economic evidence of artificial intelligence in healthcare, Health Policy (Schmidt, Carter, McGuire, Mossialos, van Kessel) — Link
2025 Global Women's Health Investment Hit A Record, But U.S. Investors Curb Their Enthusiasm, Forbes (Geri Stengel) — Link
Global analysis of country-level factors associated with chatbot usage for health, Nature Health — Link
Patients' Perspectives on AI in Primary Care, Commonwealth Fund — Link
ChatGPT Led to a Man's Near-Fatal Health Crisis, Lawsuit Claims, The New York Times — Link

With Thanks to Datacom:
Download the Executive Briefing Playbook Link

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What is PULSE?

PULSE, the podcast, produced by Pulse+IT and hosted by digital health legends Louise Schaper and George Margelis, is an enlightening, entertaining look at global digital health trends and current debates with our hosts’ deep takes on all the latest news in digital health.