Abstract: This lecture will outline the Australian experience with implementing an Electronic Health Record (EHR). Since the early 1990’s the Australian Government has been investing resources into a comprehensive electronic health record. These projects have been undertaken at a pilot level, while a full scale implementation has not occurred. On a global stage, patients require efficient and timely responses from health care professionals. Response time relies upon the interaction of a complex set of objects, which require an ability to interact and exchange data and information. Currently in Australia, a patient can visit a general practitioner or a health care facility, and undergo multiple tests performed by various internal and external providers. These providers can include a radiologist, pathology collection, mental health intervention and auxiliary services such as home care. The number of providers involved in this process is such that the complete medical history of a patient is not held in one central location, and will most likely be recorded upon a mixture of electronic and paper based formats. This disjointed system has meant that analysis of patient history not been a simple task. Constructing a history based upon this jigsaw puzzle has not resulted in an end product which is interchangeable between different health providers nor is it easily accessed or transportable for the patient.

Brief Biography of the Speaker:
Academic Studies:
Undergraduate and post graduate studies in information technology at The University of Newcastle.
Academic Teaching:
Delivering courses at Australian and Singaporean campuses of The University of Newcastle. These courses are for students (undergraduate and postgraduate) who are completing an information technology stream as part of their degree.
Research Interests:
The rationale and deployment of Radio Frequency Identification Technologies.
Member of the CASE research group.
The relationship between social, economic and technology impacts on society.