My Health Record pilot for emergency rooms

The Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA) has launched a hospital emergency department trial to provide clinicians with access to important health information using the My Health Record digital system.

The pilot will be conducted by the agency in partnership with the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC), and will initially involve hospitals within the Nepean Blue Mountains and North Queensland Primary Health Networks (PHNs).

A pilot model developed over the course of the project will then be trialled in other hospitals in Australia.

ADHA CEO Tim Kelsey said the two-year pilot is expected to drive uptake of My Health Record, which has to date been adopted by over 5 million people and connected around 10,150 healthcare providers.

“Where My Health Record is being utilised, we are seeing reductions in duplicated testing and lower hospital readmission rates. However, we need to identify potential barriers to the uptake of My Health Record in hospitals, and enable better integration with primary and secondary healthcare providers,” he said.

ACSQHC CEO Adjunct Professor Debora Picone added that hospitals often have limited information about patients requiring emergency treatment and a limited window to provide this treatment.

“It is time-consuming for hospital staff to gain information on the patient’s medicines, what their GP has been doing to manage the condition, and the procedures provided by other hospitals. This time could be better used treating the patient,” she said.

Previous trials with the Nepean Blue Mountains and the Northern Queensland PHNs have demonstrated the effectiveness of using My Health Record for providing emergency department clinicians with valuable additional information about patients.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/Jürgen Fälchle

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook