A Critical Analysis of E-Health Record Implementation in Australia

This report presents a comprehensive analysis of the implementation of E-health record systems in Australia, specifically focusing on the PCEHR (Personal Controlled Electronic Health Record) system. The report begins with an overview of the PCEHR system, developed by the Australian government to improve healthcare management. It then explores the system's opt-in model, designed to put individuals at the center of healthcare, and discusses the initial challenges faced, such as low registration rates. The report provides a critical evaluation of the PCEHR system, including its successes, such as eliminating the need for repeated tests, and its barriers, like policy conflicts between federal and state governments. It also examines the system's impact on healthcare, including its potential to reduce medical errors and improve patient care, particularly in emergency situations. The report concludes by emphasizing the importance of a national electronic health record system for improving healthcare accuracy and outcomes, referencing the challenges and ongoing efforts to improve the PCEHR system. The report is based on the implementation of E-health system (PCEHR) in Australia. Australian government had focused upon development of a national PCEHR system that will be recording persona and health related information of patients that will be accessible nationally everywhere and at any time of the day. First PCEHR system was released on 2012 but this system was widely criticized because of more challenges, and low benefits. Its challenges were faced by its users, heath care providers, individuals. Due to these challenges a greater number of people did not show any kind of enthusiasm in registering with this system. But most of the stakeholders of this project were in favour of developing and releasing a national system so that errors and issues I recording and storing medical information can be reduced.

E HEALTH RECORD

Table of Contents
Title of article..................................................................................................................................1
Lead component of article...............................................................................................................1
Important facts.................................................................................................................................1
Background......................................................................................................................................2
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................3
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................4

Title of article
Implementation of E-health Record Systems in Australia
Lead component of article
Case study E health Record
E-health Record Systems implementation in Australia, 2013
This article was published in 213 by Xu, Gao, Sorwar & Crol and is based upon E health
record system that is used in Australia. This Article gives complete information about adoption
of E-health record system. In this case study implementation of PCEHR system will be
explained. Implantation of PCEHR system have improved healthcare system in Australia.
PCEHR was released in 2012 and is a EHR system that was developed for Australian
government for effective and accurate management of health records (E-health Record Systems
implementation in Australia, 2013. This PCHER system uses or opts Opt-in model for
individual registration. This model helps in putting individual at the centre of healthcare system.
It further helps in storing data within system in a meaningful manner. It further helps in
controlling access to personal information of an individual i.e. without permission personal
information of an individual cannot be accessed or circulated with others. But desired of
releasing this system in 2012 first week registration were only 803 people, first month
registration were 4500, and first two month registration were as low as 6,000 all over Australia.
It was extremely low as comparted to the target number that was 500,000 when system comes in
operation for the first time in first year. This system was implemented by central government of
Australia and was first implemented in Kimberly, Western Australia.
This system was extremely important for Australian government because it was identified
that 18 percent of healthcare errors occur inadequate information, unplanned hospital
admissions, and missing information related to health of patients. Due to these errors patients
were required to undergo same test with various other providers of heathcare. Implementation of
this system has no doubt has helped in enhancing overall quality of healthcare especially in case
of emergency situations as well as in some special conditions.
Evaluate the implementation based on the culture, structure and processes for the organisation
and technology.
This news article provides an excellent critical evaluation of PCHER system developed by
Australian government which is based upon health technology. Its implementation, importance
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and use have been explained in the case study. The case study helps in explaining advantages
and disadvantages of this system and ways in which it can help Australian government to reduce
errors in heath records maintained by hospitals and organizations in this sector. Structure
followed by Australian government for its implementation is much easier. They ha focused upon
implementing this system in all the hospitals and had expected that approximately 500,000
people would register on this system but on the contrary only 6000 people registered in first 2
months.
Important facts
One of the main issues with PCEHR system is that this system is extremely complex. For
example: state and federal government jointly fund PCEHR project and some of the code of
practise and polices of both the government differ because of which uncertainty in adoption of e-
health system in Australia is an issue in terms of policy, administrative, and patient perspective
(Wickramasinghe and Zelcer, 2020). This conflict in policies was one of the main causes because
of which some issues in its implementation occurred. Target number assumed by Australian
government were 500,000 people registration within a year of its operation but actually only 803
people registered in first week and only 6000 people in first two months.
Successes and barriers to the implementation
Successors: One of the main Successor is that Implementation of this system eliminated need or
requirement to undergo same test or treatment from different healthcare professionals again and
again. It can also be explained as using this system, different healthcare providers will not be
able to prescribe same that that patient had already taken before and will have to consider result
of previous test only.
Barriers: this project is funded by both federal and state government and each of them has their
own policies. It is one of the main barrier in implementation of PCHER system.
However, PCEHR has its own advantages and disadvantages. It will further provide
immediate access to important medication information which will further help in saving lives ad
improving health services. patients suffering from chronical illness can be assured that their
documents are regularly updated, maintained and are easily available which is extremely
important for such patients because using this updated information they can be provided with
much more accurate and appropriate treatment. But one of the main advantages of this system is
that using this system health records of patients can be accessed easily everywhere anywhere and
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at any time (Redd., 2019). But despite of these advantages it also has some disadvantages as well
that are required to be focused upon. This system is required to be secured because any kind of
security breech can result in hacking of personal health information of patients. Development of
this system will increase chances of inappropriate use of personal health and wellness and other
data by insurance companies, employer can also use personal health information of their
employees without their consult. Lastly another important and main disadvantage of this system
is that, this system has high maintenance cost.
Background
This article is based upon implementation of E-health system (PCEHR) in Australia.
Australian government had focused upon development of a national PCEHR system that will be
recording persona and health related information of patients that will be accessible nationally
everywhere and at any time of the day. First PCEHR system was released on 2012 but this
system was widely criticized because of more challenges, and low benefits (Reddy, S., 2019). Its
challenges were faced by its users, heath care providers, individuals. Due to these challenges a
greater number of people did not show any kind of enthusiasm in registering with this system.
But most of the stakeholders of this project were in favour of developing and releasing a national
system so that errors and issues I recording and storing medical information can be reduced. This
system was important to be developed because every years due to error in medical information.
So due to this it was important to implement a national E-health record system so that such kind
of errors can be minimized, Medicare data can be stored, test rests can be stored, admission of
patient to healthcare organization can also be stored. It will not only help in reducing chances of
error but will also help in increasing transparency between patient and healthcare providers.
Government of Australia is still working upon bringing improvement within this PCEHR system
so that its disadvantages and challenges can be reduced and it can be adopted at large scale over
time.
Conclusion
From the above news article it has been concluded that it is extremely important for
development of a national electronic heath record system because due to lack of accuracy in
medical records, many patients are not provided with proper and accurate healthcare treatment
that either result in degrading of health or in increasing death rate. Development of E-health
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record system can help in bringing accuracy in healthcare and will help in bringing positive
changes within healthcare system for benefit of patients.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Wickramasinghe, N. and Zelcer, J., 2020. The Australian PCEHR or My Health Record: The
Journey Around a Large-Scale Nationwide Digital Health Solution. In Delivering
Superior Health and Wellness Management with IoT and Analytics (pp. 627-651).
Springer, Cham.
Reddy, S., 2019. Digital health and the divide. Understanding the Australian Health Care
System, p.263.
Online
E-health Record Systems implementation in Australia, 2013. [Online]. Available through:<
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/272420019_Implementation_of_E-
health_Record_Systems_in_Australia >
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