A shared electronic health record: lessons from the coalface

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Digital Health Systems
• Primary Health Care

Background:

• Coordinated care trials highlighted the need for shared patient information, especially for complex cases.
• Multisector, multidisciplinary healthcare professionals require seamless access to patient data.
• Existing information transfer methods posed risks for patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report the successful implementation of a shared electronic health record (EHR) system in northern Brisbane.
• To identify critical success factors for an integrated EHR system.
• To assess the utilization and impact of the shared EHR.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of a shared EHR system connecting general practitioners, hospitals, and allied health providers.
• Data collection on user connectivity, patient registration, and record access frequency.
• Analysis of factors contributing to system success.

Main Results:

• The system connected 239 GPs, 66 general practices, 5 hospitals, 11 allied health organizations, and 1108 patients by April 2008.
• Shared patient records were accessed an average of 15 times over 12 months.
• Seven key factors identified for successful implementation: connectivity, interoperability, change management, clinical leadership, patient involvement, point-of-care information, and governance.

Conclusions:

• The Brisbane shared EHR system demonstrates a successful model for integrated health information exchange.
• The system's success is attributed to a combination of technical, clinical, and governance factors.
• The system is under evaluation for its potential to reduce clinical handover errors.