Townsville newborn first to have medical records go digital
TOWNSVILLE Hospital is preparing to ditch paper patient charts after becoming the latest health facility to go live with the digital storage of medical records.
The integrated electronic Medical Record (ieMR) project, now operating in just five hospitals, including in Cairns and Mackay, aims to revolutionise patient care in public hospitals, particularly those in rural and remote locations.
Previously, paper medical records were often duplicated across facilities with little to no information sharing. But new ieMRs mean critical patient information will be immediately available when a patient presents at a Queensland Health facility.
Tiny newborn Teyon Bindol became Townsville’s first patient to have his notes entered into the computers, which are linked to a system accessible at hospital and health services across the state.
Townsville ieMR executive sponsor Danielle Hornsby said access to electronic records would improve patient care by giving fast and efficient access to medical records.
“With the click of a button, clinicians will have immediate access to a patient’s history, allergies and hospital notes,” she said. “The system integrates patient records from across other Queensland hospitals who have rolled out ieMR.
“As the tertiary referral centre for North Queensland, this means clinicians will have immediate access to records for patients who have been transferred from Cairns and Mackay hospitals.”
Townsville Hospital and Health Service chief executive Julia Squire said ieMR would help the service continue to deliver the best possible care quickly, efficiently and safely.
“The Townsville Hospital and Health Board is dedicated to the implementation of broader digital systems for patient safety, making this a major milestone in electronic health care for the Townsville Hospital,” she said.
The rollout will continue over the next two weeks. The Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service is the next facility to begin using the technology.