Australian Nurse Teachers Society

Nursing and midwifery form the largest cohort within the health and aged care sectors, and are the most geographically dispersed of all health care workers. As the largest professional and industrial organisation for the nursing and midwifery professions, the Australian Nursing Federation (ANF) has taken a keen interest over the past few years in the development of health information management in the electronic environment. We’ve participated through a variety of forums in the work of the National E-Health Transition Authority (NEHTA) and have taken opportunities to contribute to the development of electronic health records, namely, the Personally Controlled Electronic Health Record (PCEHR) system. This system was officially introduced into the Australian health care system in July of this year.

The ANF has undertaken with the Department of Health and Ageing to issue an electronic newsletter for nurses and midwives, providing you with relevant information on what the e-Health environment means for you and the people for whom you provide care. This E-news on E-Health is the first in a series which we anticipate will assist in answering questions you may have on the PCEHR, and resources which will assist you in your workplace.

In this issue:

• Benefits of the PCEHR
• ANJ informing you on e-Health
• Electronic newsletter: On the Record
• Links to useful resources

Welcome to the second issue of the E-news on E-Health series.

What are the benefits of e-health for nurses, midwives, assistants in nursing and consumers of health and aged care? Top of the list has to be more timely access to information. There is also the ability to: retrieve, transfer and use information across primary, secondary and tertiary sectors within the health and aged care systems; access a person’s health history (including their Personally Controlled Electronic Health Record - PCEHR), thereby reducing the need to recite their full history or remember their medicines regimen with every visit to a different health professional; and consult, diagnose and advise treatment across remote sites in a more interactive manner.

As the largest cohort of the health workforce, the nursing and midwifery professions are essential to the success of e-health in Australia.

We anticipate this series of e-newsletters will assist in answering questions you may have on e-Health in general, provide you with updates on the progress of the PCEHR and telehealth, and offer some resources which may assist you in your workplace.

In this issue:

• ICN’s views on e-Health
• Telehealth Project update
• Changes to the Australian Government Telehealth Program
• Australian Government electronic newsletter: On the Record
• Links to useful resources