An online health record will be created for every Australian who has contact with healthcare providers, if they do not opt out of the system from today, July 16, up until October 15.
QUT Health Information Management senior lecturer Sue Walker said the automatic creation of a My Health Record (MyHR) for each person with an opt-out option would replace the opt-in system introduced in 2012 which had only 5.9 million registrations as at 1 July 2018
“E-health initiatives like this have the potential to improve health outcomes for all people by promoting consumer empowerment in their personal health management and helping to deliver effective healthcare,” Ms Walker, from QUT’s School of Public Health and Social Work, said.
“Having all your medical information in one place, including summary health information from hospitals, specialists and general practitioners, as well as pathology and diagnostic imaging reports, and prescriptions and vaccinations could be empowering for people.
“It could be especially useful for people with chronic or complicated conditions who need to see a team of health professionals.
“It will also save money in duplication of tests or imaging and patient’s time in going from place to place. It can be difficult for a patient to keep track of their medical records and procedures if they move a lot, especially for grey nomads.
“People will have control over their records. They will be able to set who can access them and control who has access to see different parts of their record. They will also be able to see who has accessed their records.”
Ms Walker said diagnostic labs, public and private hospitals were working to summarise the information and upload it.
“Many hospitals currently produce discharge summaries that are sent to patients’ general practitioners and specialists after a period of hospitalisation to support continuing care,” Ms Walker said.
“Hospitals are now working on uploading these summaries to the My Health Record system so a patient’s online record will show which hospitals they have been admitted to and the treatment they have received.
“This will provide necessary information for supporting future care, particularly in an emergency situation.
“It is easier for hospitals that are already digitised but some hospitals are still paper-based so it will require more work to enter the patient’s records to their MyHealthRecord.”
QUT Media contact:
Niki Widdowson, 07 3138 2999 or n.widdowson@qut.edu.au
After hours: Rose Trapnell, 0407 585 901 or media@qut.edu.au.
