AMA joins e-health records ownership debate
Posted by Sally on August 20, 2009 under Blog | 
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AUSTRALIAN Medical Association president Andrew Pesce has signalled concerns about plans for patient-controlled e-health records.
Dr Pesce believes provider-controlled input is needed to improve quality of care and reduce adverse health outcomes.
"The current debate is very much about who should control the e-health record, with the National E-Health Transition Authority and the National Health and Hospitals Commission pushing a patient-controlled model," he told the Health-e-Nation conference in Canberra.
"We are open to patients controlling access to their summary e-record, with some exceptions such as access by emergency physicians.
"But summary e-records are fundamentally a clinical tool to aid doctors and other health professionals in sharing accurate information about an individual, and will be an adjunct to the comprehensive patient record kept by the doctor."
Dr Pesce said e-health records must find the balance between efficiency and privacy, with protection of patient privacy the critical factor in gaining acceptance.
Practical issues were also still be resolved, including whether a national database was the most appropriate storage method, and whether portable devices such as memory sticks held by the patient posed usage barriers and undermined the integrity of the record.
