Australian Medical Association president Andrew Pesce warns that patient care is "best served" when doctors have access to complete health records.
"Personal e-health records empower and encourage individuals to take responsibility for their own health, but their use may be severely limited in terms of their content, accuracy and the comprehensiveness of information," Dr Pesce said.
"Therefore, medical practitioners need a shared e-health record, in addition to any personal record (held by the patient)."
Launching an election wishlist in Canberra, Dr Pesce said the AMA welcomed the Coalition's commitment to mental health, but was disappointed these programs would be funded by money diverted from e-health and GP infrastructure proposals.
The Liberals say they will scrap the $467 million Budget allocation to personally-controlled e-health records, which Labor has promised to deliver a PCEHR to "every Australian who wants one" by 2012.
But Dr Pesce said the major parties were yet to make their cases for a fresh mandate on health reform.
While the benefits of e-health in optimising access to scarce resources and avoiding errors, duplication and waste were well-known, it was now time to fund and build the necessary infrastructure to make it a reality.
"A commercial approach relying on private investment and engagement has not served the e-health agenda well," he said.
"The next government must fund and build a summary record that links reliable and relevant medical information across healthcare settings so that treating doctors have the information they require for clinical decisions."
Dr Pesce said the medical profession must be "a key driver" in the design and implementation to ensure new systems worked on the ground.
"E-health records must align with clinical workflows and integrate with existing practice software," he said. "And the system should by governed by a single national entity, fully funded by governments and supported by appropriate incentives and training."
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Karen Dearne
Quelle/Source: Australian IT, 21.07.2010
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