- Australians to benefit from improved patient safety through better documentation and continuum of care
- New e-learning modules will ensure nurses are supported to confidently use My Health Record to improve documentation and consistency in data
- Nearly 400,000 nurses to benefit from new training which counts towards their Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
The Australian Digital Health Agency, in partnership with the Australian College of Nursing (ACN), has today announced that nurses will benefit from the roll out of new e-learning modules on My Health Record. The new training will ensure nurses are able to use My Health Record in their everyday practice so that information is consistent across the healthcare sector to improve patient outcomes.
Research published in Informatics for Health and Social Care found electronic health records can improve patient safety by minimising medication errors, improving documentation of data and enhance the completeness of data. The research also found involving nurses in this process will help to facilitate this outcome.¹
The Agency partnered with the ACN to develop the training, ensuring all materials are tailored to the nursing role. The training is accredited by the ACN and will count towards a nurse’s continued professional development.
Dr Helen Almond, Specialist General Practice Nurse and Lecturer in Digital Health said the new e-learning module is the latest in a series of initiatives conducted by the Agency and the ACN to ensure nurses are intrinsic in the use of My Health Record.
“Nurses make up the largest number of healthcare professionals in Australia, it is therefore essential they have access to training that will support them to use the system with confidence and competence. These modules do exactly that.
“My Health Record is another tool we can add to our armoury to improve patient safety, improve efficiencies within our role and allow us to spend more time caring for our patients,” said Dr Almond.
Earlier collaborations between the two organisations have included My Health Record Nurse Champions who were tasked with helping to support the broader nursing profession to use My Health Record in their everyday practice.
Adjunct Associate Professor Naomi Dobroff FACN is the Chair of ACN’s Nursing Informatics Community of Interest. “As the frontline of the healthcare system, nurses will be the first point of contact for patients when discussing their options in using electronic health records” said A/Prof Dobroff. “These new e-learning modules will ensure nurses are kept informed and equipped with the latest updates for best practice when using the My Health Record system.”
Work is underway at the Australian Digital Health Agency to develop a Workforce and Education Roadmap that will support nurses and other healthcare professionals confidently using digital health technology to deliver health and care. Professor Meredith Makeham, Chief Medical Advisor, Australian Digital Health Agency said “Empowering healthcare professionals to confidently use My Health Record in their daily practice is a priority for the Agency. A healthcare workforce fully trained on My Health Record will ensure a safer and more sustainable health system for all Australians across the country.”
Further information on the e-learning module can be found here: https://training.digitalhealth.gov.au
¹ Ahmad Tubaishat (2019) The effect of electronic health records on patient safety: A qualitative exploratory study, Informatics for Health and Social Care, 44:1, 79-91,DOI: 10.1080/17538157.2017.1398753
