Milestone for Single Digital Patient Record

NSW Health has signed a contract with software company Epic Systems for the latter to begin work on the Single Digital Patient Record (SDPR).

The SDPR aims to function as a secure digital record-keeping platform that will transform the digital systems NSW Health staff use to deliver care.

It will replace the current “complex, cumbersome and outdated” system for recording health records, according to the NSW Government. This currently consists of nine systems used for electronic medical records, 10 patient administration systems and five pathology laboratory information manage systems in use across NSW Health.

These systems are not connected statewide. Data is routinely collected but is often unable to be shared or integrated in real time. This can create duplicative data collection or information gaps in decision-making. As a result, patients may have to recall and repeat complex medical information when feeling unwell.

Having one statewide system should support consistency and continuity of care for all patients, while also streamlining the way clinicians work. With the SDPR, healthcare teams will have access to an integrated all-in-one electronic medical record system, patient administration system and pathology laboratory information system.

Clinicians will be able to access a patient’s clinical records quickly and securely, regardless of their location. The SDPR will also be designed to provide simplified clinical workflows in an intuitive, user-friendly system with streamlined technical support.

“The NSW Government’s new single digital patient record will deliver healthcare workers and their patients with consistent, timely and secure health information,” said Minister for Health Ryan Park.

“A consolidated and centralised record-keeping system will provide a holistic and integrated view of the care a patient receives right across the NSW public health system.”

NSW Health chose to partner with Epic Systems following a robust, two-and-a-half-year procurement process involving over 350 clinical and technical experts from across the system.

Epic Systems specialises in the design and delivery of electronic medical records systems and associated technologies. Its software is currently being used domestically in the ACT and certain hospitals in Melbourne, and in many large health services internationally including in the United Kingdom and the United States.

The SDPR will be delivered collaboratively and in partnership with Local Health Districts (LHDs), Specialty Health Networks (SHNs) and other NSW Health organisations, facilitated by eHealth NSW and NSW Health Pathology.

Hunter New England Local Health District (HNELHD) will be the first LHD to go live with the new platform in 2025. The sequencing of other local health districts is currently being considered, with a readiness assessment underway.

“We can now move into the next exciting phase of this project, which is to work together across all of NSW Health on the design, build and testing of the Single Digital Patient Record, so we can create a world-class digital platform that meets the diverse needs of our clinicians, staff, patients and carers,” said NSW Health Secretary Susan Pearce AM.

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