More than 70 per cent of general practices in the ACT have registered for DHR Link, a feature that gives participating GPs access to patients’ ACT public health records with their consent.
The ACT Government says 91 of the territory’s 127 general practices have signed up to the service, with more expected to join in coming months.
DHR Link is part of the ACT’s Digital Health Record (DHR) and allows authorised staff at participating practices to securely access information held in the ACT public health system.
Patients must provide written consent before their records can be accessed through DHR Link and can withdraw that consent at any time.
ACT Health Minister Dr Marisa Paterson said the service was designed to improve information sharing between hospital, community and primary care settings.
“DHR Link is helping GPs access the information they need, when they need it, to provide more connected and informed care for Canberrans,” Dr Paterson said.
“It’s an exciting evolution of the Digital Health Record that supports faster access to patient information, helping doctors, nurses and allied health professionals deliver safer, more timely and better coordinated care.”
Digital Canberra Digital Health Group executive group manager Holger Kaufmann said the ACT was the first Australian jurisdiction to implement a single territory-wide public digital health record that could also be accessed by GPs with patient consent.
“The Digital Health Record is more than an IT platform. It has transformed the way our health system works together to provide high-quality, person-centred care,” Mr Kaufmann said.
He said the DHR and DHR Link were governed by the ACT Government under federal and territory privacy and security requirements.
“This means our public health records are separate to a general practice’s software, even if the practice is connected with DHR Link,” he said.
Next Practice GP Dr Paresh Dawda said information from ACT public hospitals and specialist services had previously sometimes been delayed, incomplete or fragmented.
“With the patient’s consent, I can review relevant information at the point of care, including investigations, medication changes and recent hospital activity,” Dr Dawda said.
“This gives me a clearer clinical picture, reduces time spent chasing information, helps avoid unnecessary duplication and supports better continuity between hospital and general practice.”
Patients can access their own DHR through the MyDHR patient portal, including medical records, treatment plans, medications and upcoming appointments across the ACT public health system.
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