Skip to main content

Current Status, Challenges, and Outlook of E-Health Record Systems in Australia

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Knowledge Engineering and Management

Part of the book series: Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing ((AISC,volume 214))

Abstract

Australia is among a few countries that have developed national electronic health (e-health) record systems. From July 1, 2012, Australians can register with the Personally Controlled Electronic Health Records (PCEHR) system. Development of e-health systems is supported by stakeholders in Australia, however, the PCEHR system has been widely criticized. For the establishment of a matured e-health record system, this paper examines current status of Australia’s development of e-health record systems, identifies the challenges encountered by the development, and analyses the outlook of the PCEHR system.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 169.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Australian Nursing Journal (2011) News: national e-health rollout on. Aust Nurs J 18(10):5

    Google Scholar 

  2. Burmester S (2012) Review the progress of eHealth in Australia, presentation by national e-health transition authority, 20/03/2012, http://www.nehta.gov.au/publications/whats-new. Accessed 12 Mar 2012

  3. Coiera EW, Kidd MR, Haikerwal MC (2012) Editorials: a call for national e-health clinical safety governance. Med J Aust 196(7):430–431

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Department of Health and Aging (2011a) The eHealth readiness of Australia’s allied health sector, department of health and aging, May 2011, http://www.health.gov.au/internet/publications/publishing.nsf/Content/CA2578620005D57ACA2579090014230A/$File/Allied%20Health%20ehealth%20readiness%20survey%20report.pdf. Accessed 20 Sept 2012

  5. Department of Health and Aging (2011b) The eHealth readiness of Australia’s medical specialists, department of health and aging, May 2011, http://www.health.gov.au/internet/publications/publishing.nsf/Content/CA2578620005D57ACA25790900158A0A/$File/Medical%20Specialist%20ehealth%20readiness%20survey%20report.pdf. Accessed 20 Sept 2012

  6. Internetworldstats.com (2012) Australia: Internet usage stats and telecommunications market report, http://www.internetworldstats.com/sp/au.htm. Accessed 20 Sept 2012

  7. NEHTA (2011) Concept of operations: relating to the introduction of a personally controlled electronic health record system. http://www.yourhealth.gov.au/internet/yourhealth/publishing.nsf/Content/PCEHRS-Intro-toc/$File/Concept%20of%20Operations%20-%20Final.pdf. Accessed 26 Sept 2012

  8. Medicare (2012) MediConnect. 24/08/2012, http://www.medicareaustralia.gov.au/provider/patients/mediconnect.jsp. Accessed 27 Sept 2012

  9. Department of Health and Aging (2009) Healthconnect evaluation, http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/B466CED6B6B1D799CA2577F30017668A/$File/HealthConnect.pdf. Accessed 27 Sept 2012

  10. Department of Health and Aging (2012) Expected benefits of the national PCEHR system, Department of Health and Aging, May 2012, http://www.yourhealth.gov.au/internet/yourhealth/publishing.nsf/content/pcehr-benefits#.UGARmVElp8F. Accessed 20 Sept 2012

  11. Glance D (2012) Everything you need to know about Australia’s e-health record, The conversation, 01/03/2012, http://theconversation.edu.au/everything-you-need-to-know-about-australias-e-health-records-5516. Accessed 13 Aug 2012

  12. Townsend R (2012) Doctors and patients uneasy about new e-health record system, The conversation, 05/07/2012, http://theconversation.edu.au/doctors-and-patients-uneasy-about-new-e-health-records-system-7706. Accessed 13 Aug 2012)

  13. Jha AK, Doolan D, Grandt D, Scott T, Bates DW (2008) The use of health information technology in seven nations. Int J Med Inf 77:848–854

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Lohman T (2010) Australian e-health spending to top $2 billion in 2010. 15/04/2010, http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/343220/australian_e-health_spending_top_2_billion_2010/. Accessed 27 Sept 2012

  15. Dearne K (2012) Sceptics warn of risks and inadequacies in shared e-health records system, The Australian, 30/06/2012, http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/government/sceptics-warn-of-risks-and-inadequacies-in-shared-electronic-health-records/story-fn4htb9o-1226412887806. Accessed 11 Aug 2012

  16. Deutsch E, Duftschmid G, Dorda W (2010) Critical areas of national electronic health record programs: Is our focus correct. Int J Med Inf 79:211–222

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. NEHTA (2008) Report for quantitative survey in July 2008. August 2008, http://www.nehta.gov.au/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_details&gid=585&Itemid=139&catid=130. Accessed 16 Aug 2012

  18. McDonald K (2012) Use it or lose it—PCEHR for PIP’, PULSE + IT, http://www.pulseitmagazine.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=983:use-it-or-lose-it-pcehr-for-pip&catid=16:australian-ehealth&Itemid=328. Accessed 25 Sept 2012

  19. Gliddon J (2012) Opposition votes for ehealth, slams PCEHR, eHealthSpace.org, 15/02/2012, http://ehealthspace.org/news/opposition-votes-ehealth-slams-pcehr. Accessed 25 Sept 2012

  20. NEHTA (2012) About the PCEHR system, http://www.ehealthinfo.gov.au/personally-controlled-electronic-health-records/about-the-pcehr-system. Accessed 25 Sept 2012

  21. Dearne K (2011) Personally controlled electronic health record system coming, The Australian, 23/11/2011, http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/government/personally-controlled-electronic-health-record-system-coming/story-fn4htb9o-1226203867730. Accessed 14 Aug 2012

  22. Sheikh A, Cornford T, Barber N, Avery A, Takian A, Lichtner V, Petrakaki D, Crowe S, Marsden K, Robertson A, Morrison Z, Klecun E, Prescott R, Quinn C, Jani Y, Ficociello M, Voutsina K, Paton J, Fernando B, Jacklin A, Cresswell K (2011) Implementation and adoption of nationwide electronic health records in secondary care in England: Final qualitative results from perspective national evaluation in early adopter hospitals. BMJ Group 2011, http://www.bmj.com/content/341/bmj.c4564. Accessed 16 Aug 2012

  23. Gosling AS, Westbrook JI (2004) Allied health professionals’ use of online evidence: a survey of 790 staff working in the Australian public hospital system. Int J Med Inf 73:391–401

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Foo F (2012) Some PCEHR bugs will be fixed after go-live, says NEHTA, The Australian, 01/08/2012, http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/government/some-pcehr-bugs-will-be-fixed-after-go-live-says-nehta/story-fn4htb9o-1226440424847. Accessed 26 Sept 2012

  25. eHealth Division (2011) Draft concept of operations: relating to the introduction of a PCEHR system’, http://www.yourhealth.gov.au/internet/yourhealth/publishing.nsf/Content/CA2578620005CE1DCA2579040005A91C/$File/Draft%20Concept%20of%20Operations%20Feedback%20Report.pdf. Accessed 26 Sept 2012

  26. McDonald K (2012) 803 Sign up in PCEHR’s first week, 09/07/2012, http://www.pulseitmagazine.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1068:803-sign-up-in-pcehrs-first-week&catid=16:australian-ehealth&Itemid=328. Accessed 27 Sept 2012

  27. AMA (2012) Draft guide to using the PCEHR’. 04/04/2012, http://ama.com.au/media/draft-guide-using-pcehr. Accessed 26 Sept 2012

  28. Taylor J (2011) Slow uptake better for e-health: Roxon, ZDNet.com.au, 13/09/2011, http://www.zdnet.com/slow-uptake-better-for-e-health-roxon-1339322154/. Accessed 02 Mar 2012

  29. Winterford B (2009) Report urges electronic health records by 2012, itnews.com.au, 27/07/2009, http://www.itnews.com.au/News/151290,report-urges-electronic-health-records-by-2012.aspx. Accessed 02 Mar 2012

  30. King T, Brankovic L, Gillard P (2012) Perspectives of Australian adults about protecting the privacy of their health information in statistical database. Int J Med Inf 81:279–289

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Ross M (2012) Smartphone penetration booms down under, 16/05/2012, http://www.bandt.com.au/news/digital/smartphone-penetration-booms-down-under. Accessed 26 Sept 2012

  32. Gliddon J (2012) Mobile health records connect outback communities, eHealthSpace.org, 24/02/2012, http://ehealthspace.org/casestudy/mobile-health-records-connect-outback-communities. Accessed 13 Aug 2012

  33. Gaganayake R, Iannella R, Sahama T (2011) Sharing with care: an information accountability perspective. IEEE Internet Comput, pp 31–38

    Google Scholar 

  34. Jackson C (2012) The personally controlled electronic health record (PCEHR)—decision time approaching for general practitioners and practices, 22/05/2012, http://www.racgp.org.au/news/46973. Accessed 26 Sept 2012

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research is supported by Australian Government under the Australia–China Science and Research Fund.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jun Xu .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this paper

Cite this paper

Xu, J., Gao, X., Sorwar, G., Croll, P. (2014). Current Status, Challenges, and Outlook of E-Health Record Systems in Australia. In: Sun, F., Li, T., Li, H. (eds) Knowledge Engineering and Management. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 214. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-37832-4_62

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-37832-4_62

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-37831-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-37832-4

  • eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics