Wedgetail, the Shared Electronic Health Record
Northern Rivers General Practice Network’s (NRGPN) Wedgetail project is a huge step forward in the ultimate goal of universal electronic medical records.
Developed by a team including NRGPN Chair, Dr Tony Lembke and Goonellabah GP, Dr David Guest, Wedgetail gives multiple care providers including GPs, specialists and allied health, instant updated information on what the others are doing.
It eliminates the need for numerous phone calls, faxes and paperwork, allowing for more efficient, safer and higher quality treatment.
The trial started in November 2008, with 59 patients and 21 HCPs now registered.
Aims:
- To encourage active patient self-management
- To promote safer, higher quality decision making
- To increase health care provider communication, integration and care coordination through easy and immediate online access to patient health information.
What is Wedgetail?
An online record which contains only the most current and important patient health information.
What's in Wedgetail?
Patient records in Wedgetail are flexible and can include:
- health summaries
- patient notes
- current medications list
- allergies and alerts
- GPMPs and TCAs
- specialist reports and letters
- hospital encounters
- discharge summaries
- pathology and radiology reports
- relevant templates
Any sensitive information is excluded at the patient’s request.
Who can access the record?
The patient and all authorized health care professionals involved in their care. Patients nominate which health care professional can access their record and they can track this through the audit facility.
How do people join?
Patients register with their GP who uploads an initial health summary into Wedgetail. Health care professionals register with the administrator. Everyone is assigned a user name and password, and a unique Wedgetail number.
Special features
- Health care teams communicate through the messaging feature, reducing the need for numerous phone calls, faxes or letters
- Email messages can be sent directly to patients
- Guest cards allow any health care provider a one-time access to Wedgetail, anytime, anywhere.
The Wedgetail trial
NRGPN, with the Richmond Specialist Palliative Care Service, is running a 12-month trial of Wedgetail.
Currently, registered health care professionals include: seven GPs; ten pharmacists; one practice; one practice manager; and one specialist.
No area health or community health staff are presently registered due to ongoing negotiations regarding electronic transmission of patient information.
The future
If successful, Wedgetail will be made available to all patients with chronic and complex illnesses and (multiple) co-morbidities.
Benefits of Shared Electronic Health Records
For patients:
- better participation through access to own health information and involvement in care
- reduction in the need to remember and repeat past health history
- enhanced patient safety
For health care providers:
- timely access to information at the point of care
- increased information sharing
- improvements in communication and care coordination
For the health care system:
- improved use of resources
- reduction in avoidable adverse events, inappropriate prescriptions and excessive referrals and test requests
For more information, please contact the Project Officer, Catriona Smith, on 02 6622 4453 or email: wedgetail_admin@nrgpn.org.au
Sources: “eHealth Record: Shaping the future of healthcare – Individual Electronic Health Records”
Nehta: National E-Health Transition Authority