What is E-Health?
The use of information and communication technologies for health
Includes tools for health authorities and professionals as well as personalized health systems for patients
What are Examples of E-Health Activities?
Pharmacy Medication Dispensing Systems
Electronic medical records (GP and hospital based)
Computer generated prescription writing
Electronic billing and claiming (PBS, Medicare)
Reporting of pathology tests and radiology reports
What are the Reasons for E-Health?
Medical errors (such as adverse drug events, improper transfusions, wrong site surgery) – the failure of a planned action to be completed as intended or the use of a wrong plan to achieve an aim
Need to improve patient care
What Factors Contribute to Medical Errors?
Patients see multiple providers in different settings – might not have complete information
Faulty systems, processes and conditions
Move away from a blame based culture
What are the Types of Medical Errors?
Diagnostic, Treatment, Preventive, Other
What are Examples of E-Health within Community?
My Health Record – personal electronic health record
Digital Health Cyber Security Centre – protect national digital health systems and personal health information
What are State and Territory Achievements of E-Health within Community?
Electronic medical records in many public hospitals: Incorporating messaging, discharge summaries, eReferral and booking capabilities
Activity reporting systems: Data from electronic medical records used to identify clinical variations in management
Medicines Safety: Real-time prescription monitoring of Controlled Drugs
What are Non-Government Achievements of E-Health within Community?
Mobile health apps to improve patient’s confidence in managing chronic health conditions, improve access to specialist services (electronic review of radiographic images) and sharing of Clinical Data (e.g. BP, physical activity) to minimise need for outpatient appointments
Private hospital sector: More financially driven outcomes such as purchasing efficiencies
What are Barriers to Further Development of E-Health?
Complex funding and governance structures
Need for private sector development
Development of systems should be coordinated, otherwise excellent systems that don’t talk to each other may be developed
Enter the Australian Digital Health Agency
What are the Goals of National Digital Health Strategy?
Prevent adverse drug events, reduce medical errors, improve vaccination rates, better coordinate care and better inform treatment decisions
Sustain a more efficient health system through less time searching for patient data and reduction of avoidable hospitalisions
Improve healthcare availability and patient experience by putting the patient at the centre of their healthcare
Provide greater access to healthcare for people living in rural and remote areas of Australia
Protect the national digital health infrastructure and secure the personal health information of Australians
What is My Health Record?
Online summary of a person’s health information that can be accessed at any time by the person or their healthcare providers
My Health Record: What Information is Included?
Medical history
Medications
Allergies
Pathology test results
What are Clinical Decision Support Systems?
Describes any computer application which enhances a human’s ability to make decisions
Where are Clinical Decision Support Systems integrated into?
Currently integrated into computerised prescribing (medical) and dispensing (pharmacy) software and potential for use when ordering imaging, pathology etc
What do Clinical Decision Support Systems Incorporate?
Patient-specific data entered
Data processed and linked to knowledge stored in database
Notifications communicated back to clinicians
What are the Advantages of Clinical Decision Support Systems?
May reduce prescribing errors – warn prescribers about possible risks such as allergies, inappropriate doses and duplicated orders
Reduce serious medication errors (ADR, reduction in therapeutic duplications and drug-drug interactions)
Improve adherence to treatment protocols
Increase the use of preventative therapies
What are the Disadvantages of Clinical Decision Support Systems?
Reliability on clinical information (missing, currency)
High number of false positive alerts
Ability to override alerts and treatment delays
All users need to be appropriately trained and the system implemented gradually
Failure to integrate into current systems
What are the Advantages of Electronic Prescriptions?
Eliminate illegible handwriting
Increase order accuracy and completeness
Improve response time and continuity of care
What are the 7 Outcomes of the National Digital Health Strategy?
- Health Information that’s available whenever and wherever it is needed
- Health Information that can be exchanged securely
- High-quality data
- Better availability and access to prescriptions and medicines information
- Digitally-enabled models of care that drive improved accessibility, quality, safety and efficiency
- A workforce confidently using digital health technologies to deliver health and care
- A thriving digital health industry delivering world-class innovation