title: Current patient and healthcare worker attitudes to eHealth and the personally controlled electronic health record in major hospitals.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The current health system in Australia is comprised of both electronic- and paper-based medical records. The Federal Government has approved funding for the development of an individual health identifier and a universally adopted online health repository.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine attitudes and beliefs of patients and healthcare workers regarding the use of stored medical information and the personally controlled electronic health record (PCEHR) in selected major hospitals in Victoria.
  
  
  METHODS
  Qualitative survey of patients and healthcare workers (n = 600 each group) conducted during 2014 across five major hospitals in Melbourne to measure the awareness, attitudes and barriers to electronic health and the PCEHR.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the patients, 93.3% support the concept of a shared electronic healthcare record, 33.7% were aware of the PCEHR and only 11% had registered. The majority of healthcare workers believed that the presence of a shared health record would result in an increased appropriateness of care and patient safety by reducing adverse drug events and improving the timeliness of care provided. However, only 46% of healthcare workers were aware of the PCEHR.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study provides a baseline evaluation of perceptions surrounding eHealth and PCHER in acute health services in five metropolitan centres. While there appears to be a readiness for adoption of these strategies for healthcare documentation, patients require motivation to register for the PCEHR, and healthcare workers require more information on the potential benefits to them to achieve more timely and efficient care.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Armani
authors.affiliation: Department of Allergy, Immunology and Respiratory Medicine, The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: L E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Allen-Graham
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: N R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Heriot
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.|Department of Allergy, Immunology and Respiratory Medicine, The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kotsimbos
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.|Department of Allergy, Immunology and Respiratory Medicine, The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Wilson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001315:Australia; D057286:Electronic Health Records; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006282:Health Personnel; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D033283:Patient Access to Records; D010358:Patient Participation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000592:standards*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: eHealth; electronic health record; healthcare systems; medical record; personal health record