My Health Record

From WikiMD's Wellness Encyclopedia

My Health Record is an online summary of an individual's health information, available in Australia. It was introduced by the Australian Government to improve the management and quality of healthcare in Australia. It is managed by the Australian Digital Health Agency.

Overview[edit | edit source]

My Health Record is designed to support the management of health information in Australia. It allows healthcare providers to access and share information such as medical conditions, treatments, medicines, allergies and test results. This system is intended to improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare.

History[edit | edit source]

The My Health Record system was introduced by the Australian Government in 2012 as a voluntary system. In 2018, it became an opt-out system, meaning that a My Health Record was automatically created for every Australian unless they chose to opt out.

Features[edit | edit source]

My Health Record includes several features designed to improve the management of health information. These include:

  • A shared health summary, which provides an overview of an individual's health, including conditions, medications, allergies and immunisations.
  • Event summaries, which provide information about specific healthcare events.
  • A medicines view, which provides a list of medicines that a patient is taking or has taken.
  • Pathology and diagnostic imaging reports, which provide results of tests and scans.
  • Clinical documents, which provide detailed information about healthcare events.

Privacy and security[edit | edit source]

The My Health Record system has been designed with a focus on privacy and security. It includes several measures to protect individuals' health information, including strong encryption, secure login processes, and strict access controls. Individuals can control who has access to their My Health Record and can choose to share their information with the healthcare providers they trust.

Criticism[edit | edit source]

The My Health Record system has faced criticism for various reasons, including concerns about privacy and security, the opt-out model, and the potential for misuse of information.

See also[edit | edit source]

My Health Record Resources

Contributors: Prab R. Tumpati, MD