Download eDischarge Summary - Australian Digital Health Agency

eDischarge
Summary
Overview
The discharge summary is typically produced
by the patient’s attending doctor and may be
shared with the patient and various healthcare
providers such as the patient’s general
practitioner (GP) and the referring specialist.
Electronic discharge summaries
Discharge summaries shared by
are not new to the Australian
non-secure electronic means such
Healthcare Sector. The National
as fax can introduce inefficiencies
E-Health Transition Authority
and errors, particularly during
(NEHTA) eDischarge Summary
the encoding and transfer of
solution will represent the first
clinical data.
nationally endorsed standard
However, a discharge summary
for hospitals to generate and
delivered securely and electronically,
distribute structured electronic
in a standardised format, will
discharge summaries, to improve
support the continuity of care
communication between
of the patient as they leave the
healthcare providers.
hospital, offering community
•While its primary function is to
healthcare providers accurate
support the transfer of patients
and up-to-date information on the:
from acute care to primary care
•Diagnosis: Why was the patient
facilities, the eDischarge summary
admitted to hospital?
will also benefit other processes,
•Diagnostic investigations:
such as the readmission of
What key tests were performed?
patients to hospital via a summary
•Medications on discharge
of the earlier admission.
•Ceased medications
•Clinical interventions: What
procedures were performed?
•Allergies and adverse reactions
•Arranged services: What future
services have been scheduled?
May 2012
eDischarge summaries mean:
•Reduced need to fax or
scan discharge summaries
•Improved GP satisfaction with
the content and timeliness of
discharge summaries received
•Reduced preventable
hospitalisations and
readmissions
•Increased consumer
privacy through secure
electronic transfer and storage
of discharge information.
eDischarge Summary
example:
1.Admitted
to hospital
Clinical
Information
System
2.Builds the
discharge
summary
Provider
Directory
3.Selects
recipient(s)
Patient
7.Visits
regular
GP
4.Discharged
from hospital
5.Sends discharge
summary
Attending
Doctor
GP
6.Automatically sends
delivery confirmation
1.The Attending Doctor
2.The Patient
Upon patient admission, the
When the patient is discharged,
attending doctor can begin
discharge summaries can be
building their discharge summary
digitally signed and encrypted
and populating it with data from
using the National Authentication
other clinical systems such as
Service for Health (NASH),
pathology, surgery, medical imaging and shared electronically
and emergency. With the patient’s
with desired recipients.
consent, appropriate recipients
3.The GP
for the discharge summary can
Upon receiving the discharge
be selected.
summary, the GP’s desktop
software can automatically send
a delivery confirmation to the
hospital and add the discharge
summary to the patient record.
Did you know?
•In Australia, there are about
8.9 million hospital separations
per year, of which 42% are
not same-day admissions i.e.
require a discharge summary1
•The current eDischarge
summary solution is geared
primarily towards sending
discharge summaries to GPs
•The existing NEHTA
eDischarge summary solution
does not cover a transfer of
a patient between units in a
hospital i.e. a transfer summary.
1. AIHW 2012. Australia’s hospitals 2010–11
at a glance. Health services series no. 44.
For more information please contact:
NEHTA: www.nehta.gov.au
eHealth visit: www.ehealthinfo.gov.au