The Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA) announced the launch of a new education resource aimed at helping clinical radiologists and other members of an individual’s healthcare team to develop a comprehensive understanding of My Health Record and how to navigate the system.
The ADHA is working with the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists (RANZCR) to launch the My Health Record Continuing Professional Development (CPD) modules for clinical radiologists and imaging practices.
The need
According to the latest statistics from January 2020 by ADHA, 43% of pathology and diagnostic imaging practices are connected to my Health Record.
Over 2019 the Agency’s focus was on GPs and pharmacists as primary healthcare providers and to date, 90% are registered and over 70% are now actively using My Health Record.
The Agency is working closely with other key healthcare provider groups such as clinical radiologists, to increase the use of My Health Record so that both consumers and healthcare providers can view this important health information.
About the course
The five modules of the My Health Record eLearning course cover:
- Introduction to the system – how to navigate key features and functionalities, how to explain the benefits and how usage can complement local record-keeping to improve patient health
- Clinical documents and patient-entered information – outlines the types of clinical information found in the system and how each might help inform a decision on clinical care
- Viewing and uploading to the system – the basic principles for viewing, amending and uploading information and the clinical significance of uploading high-quality data
- Privacy, security and consent – outlines obligations for maintaining patient privacy and the security practices needed to meet them, available security features, the patient consent process and how they relate to the use of My Health Record
- Supporting patient use of My Health Record – how patients can manage the privacy and security of their record, how to address patient concerns, how patients can cancel their record and what happens with the contents
Just earlier this month, Victoria-based Melbourne Pathology became the latest pathology provider to upload reports to My Health Record.
As of December 2019, there are 22.68 million My Health Records in Australia, of which 12.99 million records have information in them.
The College executive team was appreciated for their leadership in developing this education resource.
Including My Health Record into professional development programs shows that healthcare professionals are embracing digital tools and valuing ongoing professional development to help them make the most of data when providing healthcare.
These CPD programs demonstrate that My Health Record and digital tools more generally are becoming a routine part of delivering care in our complex health system.
Working with medical colleges and other health professional organizations to develop capabilities to deliver better health and care outcomes is a priority for the Agency, the Interim CEO of ADHA said in a statement.
Boosting the digital skill of healthcare professionals
OpenGov Asia earlier reported that Australia launched a new professional development program to identify the necessary digital health capabilities for nurses and midwives to further improve the quality, safety and efficiency of care that they deliver.
The 2020 focus on nursing and midwifery in the digital age coincides with the World Health Organization’s International Year of the Nurse and Midwife.
Nurses and midwives across the country will now be consulted on the specific digital health skills they need, what is practical and relevant for them.
Moreover, they will be asked how a draft digital health capability framework could be used in hospitals and health services as a professional development guide for nursing and midwifery in the digital world.
The goal is to raise awareness among nurses and midwives of the value of digital health skills, the opportunities in the area, and the knowledge to improve the quality of patient care.
