• Eureka Street

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16 April 2010Technological innovation is an important part of supporting the health and wellbeing of communities writes Ben O'Mara in Eureka Street.

The Rudd Government has recognised the positive impact that new and emerging digital technology can have in creating better health outcomes by its commitment to eHealth in the planned reform of Australia's health and hospital system, the introduction of the Individual Electronic Patient Health Record (IEHR), and the contribution of significant funding to the National eHealth Transition Authority. eHealth, it seems, is the way of the future.

The IEHR is a secure, electronic record of a person's medical history, stored and shared in a network of connected systems, which individuals and health professionals can easily view through a computer and online. This suggests a more coordinated and efficient communication of patient information that can help to improve the quality of care and reduce health expenditure in the long term.

The problem is that the rollout of the IEHR and other eHealth projects face challenges due to the differences between and among communities across Australia in relation to their quality and frequency of access to technology, and the ways in which health and wellbeing are understood and communicated.

Read the full article in Eureka Street