Volume 194 - Issue 4
E-health in Australia: time to plunge into the 21st century
Authors: Melissa Wake, Sarah A Davies, Harriet Hiscock and Gervase M Chaney
Med J Aust 2011; 194 (4): 211-212. || doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2011.tb03786.x
Published online: 21 February 2011
Published online: 21 February 2011
To the Editor: E-health’s great promise is to improve health care delivery efficiency and effectiveness1 by enhancing multidisciplinary care planning and information exchange.2 General practice is now largely computerised.3 However, a chain is no stronger than its weakest link, and Australia’s otherwise slow progress towards linking secondary care into a functioning national e-health system is frustrating.1,4 We join the chorus, raising concerns about the e-health readiness of the paediatric sector.
We recently surveyed the e-health readiness of paediatricians via the Australian Paediatric Research Network (APRN), a network of about 370 non-tertiary paediatricians broadly representative of all states and territories.5 Established in 2007, the APRN aims to facilitate multisite research into common chronic childhood illnesses where they are most commonly seen — in paediatric secondary care settings. Core to this goal is testing cross-sectoral care models, which requires shared e-health capabilities.
The APRN’s annual web-based Multi-Topic Survey in April–May 2010 (n = 181, 48% response) contained a section on computer use with outpatients and in private rooms (Box). Almost all respondents reported having access to a computer at work. However, the reach of e-health is otherwise disturbingly low, its quality is questionable and, when used, it is mainly for clerical purposes rather than patient care. The 27% of respondents using computerised medical records reported more than 10 different systems, suggesting possible future barriers to information exchange and e-health initiatives.
We applaud the rapid progress made in general practice,3 but general practitioners do not work in isolation. Our survey shows that, despite similar computer access, Australian paediatricians (and probably other physicians) are a long way behind. This has major implications for policy, shared care programs and the feasibility of e-research. E-health can only provide national benefits in our new world of chronic disease if all health sectors are involved.
On a positive note, the current low rate of computerisation in paediatric patient care means that e-health implementation for secondary care could yet be coordinated and integrated from the outset. This opportunity should be seized while still possible. Resources, government funding, planning, a solution focus and the will to move forward are urgently needed.
References
- Deloitte; National E-Health and Information Principal Committee. National E-Health Strategy. 30 Sep 2008. Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, 2008.
- National E-Health Transition Authority. NEHTA Blueprint. Version 1.0, Draft for Consultation. Sydney: NEHTA, 2010. 0_i1095903
- Henderson J, Britt H, Miller G. Extent and utilisation of computerisation in Australian general practice. Med J Aust 2006; 185: 84-87. <eMJA full text>
- Van Der Weyden MB. General practice and e-health reform [editorial]. Med J Aust 2010; 193: 69. <eMJA full text>
- Hiscock H, Efron D, Wasserman R, Wake M. Power to the paediatricians: the Australian Paediatric Research Network is born. J Paediatr Child Health 2010; Jun 27 [Epub ahead of print]. doi: 10.1111/j.1440-1754.2010.01772.x. 0_i1095910