‘It’s About Time’ is the theme of National Diabetes Week (8-14 July 2018). This theme also relates to My Health Record. Every Australian will have access to a My Health Record by the end of the year, unless they choose not to have one.
Many Australians who have diabetes need to see various healthcare professionals and use different health services. This can mean information is scattered across different systems and files are in different places. This makes it difficult to keep track of information.
My Health Record is a summary of an individual’s health information in one place. This can be helpful for people with diabetes as it can have up-to-date details about medicine prescriptions, test reports and treatments received. My Health Record can improve the communication between patients and healthcare professionals.
Lionel Corrigan (Tiger) is no stranger to the medical system, having had his first heart ‘turn’ more than 20 years ago. Tiger has many chronic health conditions including irregular blood pressure, diabetes, prostate cancer, emphysema and a triple bypass. This has seen him in and out of hospitals many times.
“Tiger visits a lot of different specialists – cardiologists, urologists and endocrinologists – so there’s complex issues that need to be managed. Often, those specialists don’t communicate with each other. By using My Health Record, important information is brought together so there’s a coordinated approach to his care,” said Tiger’s GP.
All Australians will have access to a My Health Record at the end of 2018, unless they choose to opt-out from 16 July – 15 October 2018.
For more information, visit myhealthrecord.gov.au or call the free helpline on 1800 723 471.