Technology should be embraced when it can
influence positive practice change because sifting through growing volumes of
medicines information while caring for some of the most unwell patients is a
daily challenge in hospital pharmacy.
An announcement
made by the Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA) highlighted on the national
education and training package on My Health Record is being delivered to
hospital pharmacists, informing them of the My Health Record expansion in 2018.
A flexible online and face-to-face national
education and training package on My Health Record is being delivered by the Society of Hospital
Pharmacists of Australia (SHPA) in partnership with the ADHA to
hospital pharmacists.
The aim of the package is to inform
hospital pharmacists working in public and private healthcare services about
the expansion of My Health Record in 2018. They should revise services and care
to integrate the My Health Record given this significant growth in the use of
the digital health record by Australians.
SHPA Chief Executive Ms Kristin Michaels
said that by empowering hospital pharmacists to maximise their uptake of My
Health Record, the patients are also empowered.
She explained, “Having mutually
intelligible information at the fingertips can put pharmacists and patients on
the same page, demystifying some of the incredibly complex medicine-related
decision-making of contemporary hospital pharmacy practice.”
She added, “At the same time, an increased
understanding of more patient profiles via the national expansion of My Health
Record will allow hospital pharmacists to tailor their clinical services
appropriately to reduce preventable readmissions to hospital.”
Ms Leonie Abbott is from the SHPA’s
Electronic Medicines Management (eMM) Leadership Committee. She has participated
in the Project Working Group that contributed to the My Health Record
Guidelines for Pharmacists aimed at community pharmacy. She emphasised that
technology should be embraced when it can influence positive practice change.
She explained, “Sifting through growing
volumes of medicines information while caring for some of the most unwell
patients is a daily challenge in hospital pharmacy, especially in emergency
settings and during crucial transitions of care from hospital to the community
when medication errors are most likely to occur.”
Ms Abbott added, “Practitioners who work at
the coalface will lead this education and engagement program giving it a
running start in preparing hospital pharmacists to make the most of this
important innovation, enabling them to be more efficient and effective
pharmacists who can provide greater patient care.”
ADHA CEO Mr Tim Kelsey shared that
partnering with the SHPA is an important step toward integrating the My Health
Record system into standard hospital pharmacist practice.
He explained, “Hospital pharmacy practice
is markedly different to community pharmacy practice, and is particularly
important in ensuring consistency in medicines management and effective
transition of care from the hospital to the home.”
Mr Kelsey added, “The expansion of My
Health Record nationally to everyone unless they choose not to have one, will
deliver a system that provides universal functionality, clear and concise
content and, critically, a safe and secure clinical health service for all
Australians.”
The ADHA is tasked with improving health
outcomes for all Australians through the delivery of digital healthcare
systems, and implementing Australia’s National Digital Health Strategy.
The SHPA is the national, professional,
for-purpose organisation for leading pharmacists and pharmacy technicians
working across Australia’s health system, advocating for their pivotal role in improving
the safety and quality of medicines use.
A previous announcement by the Australian
Digital Health Agency was released
highlighting how Australians living in WA, NSW, and Queensland will be granted
access to diagnostic imaging reports. The report also discussed how the My
Health Record system also caters to the complex needs of palliative care
patients.
Recently, the Australian Digital Health
Agency also released
a 3-month opt out period for My Health Record that will run from 16 July to 15
October 2018. Since every Australian will be offered a My Health Record, they
can choose not to have one during the said period.
Another announcement was also released
earlier, this time about the framework for My Health Record in order to deliver
better outcomes for patients. The Framework defines how data on the My Health
Record system can be used for research and public health purposes while
preserving privacy and security of data in the system.