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HealthConnect: Making Consent and Privacy a Priority

One of the biggest challenges for consumers and health care providers at the point of care is the limited flow of essential health information associated with current health-record-keeping systems. Health care providers generally keep their own patient records, often in a paper-based format. This means that parts of an individual’s health information may be stored in many different locations and can be difficult to access in times of medical need. Even when information is kept in electronic form, it is often scattered across incompatible databases, which inhibits sharing of the information. Imagine the scene of a car accident on a major highway, in which the unconscious driver, Jane Smith, has been rescued from her wrecked car and lifted into an ambulance. She is about to be sped to hospital in what should be a smooth passage to safety and care. However, this may not necessarily be Jane’s experience. In her unconscious state, she cannot warn the doctors that she is allergic to some medications and cannot take other drugs because of an underlying medical condition. If such crucial information is inaccessible to treating medical staff, potentially fatal errors may result. Every year, many Australians become ill or die owing to adverse events during diagnosis or treatment because of circumstances, especially in emergency situations, similar to those described in this hypothetical case. It is anticipated that HealthConnect, a cutting-edge national information technology project now under way, will revolutionise the handling of medical records, while dramatically reducing the risk of adverse treatment due to the inaccessibility of health information. HealthConnect is being developed as a partnership between all Australian governments. It will provide an up to the minute, national, Internet-based register of clinically relevant, summarised patient information which will be available to treating doctors and nurses in any location, at any time, subject to the consumer’s consent. Personal health information is extremely sensitive, however, and consumers must be confident that their information is valued and used wisely. Accordingly, HealthConnect has spent considerable time ensuring that the community’s right to privacy, as well as its interest in achieving better health, is upheld and protected. This article outlines work under way at the national level to develop HealthConnect and how some of the key issues relating to consumer consent and privacy are being addressed in consultation with key stakeholders.