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Residential aged care

Supporting residential aged care residents and their healthcare teams.

When digital health services are connected, healthcare providers and authorised residential aged care staff have immediate access to a resident’s key health information.

This connected healthcare will support aged care homes and means their residents can receive better continuity of care.

Watch this video to find out more about the benefits of digital health in residential aged care.

Digital health services available to aged care homes and their residents

My Health Record

My Health Record is a secure online summary of key patient health information. In an aged care setting, authorised healthcare teams can access a resident’s record to view and add information. The benefits include immediate access to a resident’s key health information between facilities, such as:

  • Shared health summary 
  • Discharge summaries 
  • Prescription and dispense records
  • Transfer of care
  • Vaccination and immunisation information
  • Pathology and radiology results
  • Advance care planning document/s
  • Validation and verification of clinical information
  • Avoid duplication of tests and diagnostic imaging
  • Improve continuity of care.
Electronic prescriptions and Active Script List

Electronic prescriptions are digital versions of paper prescriptions and can be managed by using an Active Script List.

Electronic National Residential Medication Chart (eNRMC)

eNRMC supports the delivery of appropriate care for people within residential aged care facilities by ordering medicine and providing a record of administration that can be documented and used to help communicate information consistently between health professionals and aged care staff about the intended use of medicines for an aged care resident.

Pharmacist Shared Medicines List

A list of medicines a patient may be taking, created by a pharmacist or hospital pharmacy.

Telehealth

Telehealth is having a consultation with a healthcare provider by phone or video call.

Many GPs, specialists and other healthcare providers now offer a telehealth consultation when a physical examination isn’t necessary. It’s not intended to replace essential visits to the doctor, but rather be a convenient solution when you can’t see a doctor face to face. 

Benefits of connected care

  • Reduce time spent accessing health history
  • Streamline information into one secure location
  • Improve continuity of care
  • Save time in an emergency.

"Quite honestly, this has been a game changer, providing immediate access to the health records of residents via their My Health Record, has been instrumental in ensuring that doctors have the most accurate and current medical, pathology and other results, plus and most important - hospital discharge."

– Barry Johnson, Signature Care GM Quality & Innovation

Connecting residential aged care homes

Tailored one-on-one support is available for all residential aged care homes wishing to connect to the My Health Record system.

"Using the Agency’s support helped to simplify the steps to registering and the support material we received really made the process more manageable."

– Cedar Yin, Opal HealthCare Reporting and Clinical Systems Manager

If you’re interested in connecting your residential aged care home, email [email protected]

The Agency provides online resources for residential aged care homes, including e‑learning modules, webinars and training simulators.

Download the Better connected care through My Health Record flyer (PDF, 405.18 KB).

Software product conformance

See which software products are conformant with My Health Record.

If your residential aged care home or organisation uses these software products, please contact them for information about when the upgraded changes will be available to you.

Initiatives are underway to partner directly with software developers to ensure their software products for the aged care sector are conformant with My Health Record. This is so that more products that support clinical information and medication management can be connected. 

Digital health literacy

Better connected healthcare for Australians can be achieved through uptake and adoption of technology. Support is available by:  

  • building digital health capability across the health and aged care workforce, delivered through the National Digital Health Capability Action Plan
  • evolving health and care to meet the needs of modern Australia under the National Digital Health Strategy
  • improving access to clinical advice for aged care residents through telehealth initiatives
  • supporting the aged care workforce through resources and training. Please navigate to ‘aged care’ under the heading ‘your areas of practice’ via the healthcare provider webpage.  

Online learning module

We have an online learning module to help you understand more about My Health Record for older Australians and their carers.

Access the online learning module

Resources and support material

Download the Toolkit (PDF)

My Health Record Readiness Toolkit (ACCPA)

Download the Toolkit (PDF)
Watch pre-recorded webinar now

My Health Record in aged care pre-recorded webinar

Watch pre-recorded webinar now
View the Guidelines

My Health Record Guidelines for Residential Aged Care

View the Guidelines
https://training.digitalhealth.gov.au/mod/page/view.php?id=959

Digital health eLearning resources

training.digitalhealth.gov.au