Specialists go on the Record
With more health services using My Health Record, patients can trust they will receive cohesive and consistent care.
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My Health Record is an online summary of a patient’s key health information. Throughout the My Health Record expansion in 2018, several of SEMPHN’s teams were crucial to connecting and educating health professionals and community members in its capability and functions. At the time, the primary audiences for this information included general practices, pharmacies, hospitals and the general public.
Fast forward four years to 2022 where over 23 million My Health Records exist across Australia. Although nationally, 99% of GPs are registered with My Health Record, only 23% of specialists were connected by June 2022.
My Health Record registration among accredited practices is high in SEMPHN region, with eight out of of ten local government areas recording registrations of
more than 90% in 2021. Fifty-eight percent of the 212 specialists in the region have expressed some interest in finding out more about My Health Record and of those 52% are embedding the use of My Health Record into their workflow.
Lending a helping hand
To ensure all health professionals reap its benefits and can practically support their patients, SEMPHN’s Digital Health team reached out to specialists across south eastern Melbourne to start a conversation about My Health Record in specialist settings.
“Specialists who wanted to know more about My Health Record appreciated our offers of support,” said Holly Denney, SEMPHN’s Digital Health Officer.
SEMPHN’s Digital Health team reached out to more than 190 specialists in the catchment to introduce themselves and explore the possibility of coordinating training or support for specialists who were interested to learn more about My Health Record.
The team also hosted three webinars for specialists with speakers from the Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA) and local rheumatology specialist Dr Tina Racunica who discussed how My Health Record was used in their practice. Dr Racunica also offered key insights into the value of My Health Record.
“Patients with complex needs or those with poor health literacy; that’s where My Health Record is the most useful,” said Dr Racunica.
Thanks to the Digital Health team’s efforts in collaboration with ADHA and Dr Racunica, 123 more specialists are now connected to My Health Record in south eastern Melbourne.
The patient point of view
What does this mean for patients? It’s common for patients to be referred by their GPs to specialist services for additional support or treatment. This can be a challenging time for patients as they balance information or stressors about their diagnosis.
With more specialists registering to My Health Record, patients can feel secure in the knowledge that when needed, they can share key health information with their entire healthcare team, including specialists. It also means that specialists can contribute essential information to My Health Record, securing all the relevant information in one place.
My Health Record is a tool that can be used across a patient’s entire health journey and makes it easier for patients and their healthcare teams to take a coordinated and integrated approach to care.
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