The content on this page and other DCITA document archive pages is provided to assist research and may contain references to activities or policies that have no current application. See the full archive disclaimer.

DATA issue 7

Just what the doctor ordered

An apple a day may keep the doctor away, but new advances in patient care are more likely to come via the Internet.

Access to patient history is extremely important to medical care and can potentially provide life saving information. However many medical general practitioners (GPs) are frustrated in their efforts to track down details of a patient's treatment in hospital or with other medical practitioners. Much of the information is paper-based or relies on the patient's memory of treatment.

Smart Health is helping to overcome these problems by providing health care professionals with access to current electronic health records of patients who choose to opt in to the program. The solution has been designed to meet medical provider's information needs and to achieve safer, better quality medical care at a lower cost.

Smart Health particularly addresses the costs associated with inefficiencies in current communication and paper-based information-sharing mechanisms. It records the results of medical treatment by other professionals, such as radiologists, pathologists and pharmacists and introduces a uniform, many-to-many information management system with the potential to strip out large layers of cost from the health industry.

This all adds up to enhanced patient care and increased patient control over medical records.

The project commenced by establishing strict guidelines around patient privacy and data security and was designed to meet the following criteria:

• rapid access to patients' clinical records;
• minimal operating costs and maximum efficiency;

• secure data storage;
• access to knowledge-based health care; and
• assurance that medical records remain confidential.

How does it work?

TheSmart Health approach is designed to be 'patient centric'. The starting point is the moment the patient chooses to opt in to the program and consent is obtained for authorised health care providers to share the patient's clinical information.

An electronic clinical history is collected as the patient moves from one health care provider to another. A summary of the patient's visit is generated after each medical consultation, for example a hospital discharge summary, diagnostic report or consultation summary.

Health care providers are each issued with a unique smart card that they use to launch a consultation session and connect with the server.

Patients participating in the program have a personal smart card that is used in the consultation session. The entire patient history provided by multiple health care professionals is available on the secure web host and can be updated in the current session. The project has the potential to allow patients to access their own records from a PC, if demand for such a service emerges.

All data is stored in a GateKeeper Standard secure environment and transmitted over the Internet using Australian Government mandated security products.

Participants in the project have reported that it is flexible, extensible, and simple to roll out to health professionals, hospitals and authorised health care administrators.

Case study: Brisbane Waters Private Hospital

The health care community based around Brisbane Waters Private Hospital has been involved with Smart Health for more than two years. Hospital staff, GPs, specialists and diagnosticians use this solution to provide more informed care to almost 2000 patients on the NSW Central Coast. Hospital discharge records provide the core information, with health care providers now able to access patients' treatment details on line. This implementation went from pilot to full commercial basis in January 2002.

Smart Card Applications Pty Ltd originally conceptualised and designed the solution and collaborated with a number of organisations to form a consortium and conduct the proof of concept trial at the Brisbane Waters Private Hospital. Funding of $75,000 for the proof of concept trial was provided under Round 4 of the Commonwealth Government's Information Technology Online (ITOL) program. Smart Health Solutions Pty Ltd now continues the work on a commercial basis.

The project consortium for the proof of concept stage included businesses and global technology providers:

• Schlumberger Measurement and Systems Pty Limited, providing the project's smart cards and card readers;
• Sun Microsystems, providing computer hardware and seed funding;
• The Macquarie Bank;
• Cable & Wireless Limited;
• NSW Department of Information Technology and Management; and
• Brisbane Waters Private Hospital.

Since its inception, the ITOL program has supported more than 94 collaborative projects in a wide range of industry sectors that have accelerated the adoption of e-business in Australia.

Details of the program and how to apply can be found at www.noie.gov.au

• Document ID: 13122 |
• Last modified: 5 February 2008, 6:32pm