Why quality matters

General practice health records are transitioning from being held and shared only within the practice, to being shared with patients and other healthcare providers involved in the patient’s care.

GPs are no longer producing health records only for themselves or their immediate colleagues. GPs should assume information they enter into a health record will more than likely be shared outside their practice. A patient's health record may be used by various health professionals to provide healthcare; it might be accessed by patients themselves, or required by third parties (e.g., for legal purposes).

Under Australia’s privacy legislation, GPs must obtain informed consent from the patient before sharing information with other healthcare providers or other third-party organisations. There are exceptions to this rule, including where there is a serious threat to life, health or safety, or where GPs are legally required to provide information under a court order or subpoena. For further information, visit the RACGP website for advice on Managing third party and patient requests for a patient’s medical record.

One of the key areas where general practice data is shared is to My Health Record. GPs and their practice teams need to be aware of the consent requirements when uploading patient information to the My Health Record through key documents like shared health summaries and event summaries. If a patient has a My Health Record, there is generally no requirement for GPs to obtain consent each time they upload clinical information. Under the My Health Records Act 2012, all registered healthcare providers are authorised to share information to the My Health Record system, with two exceptions:

1. Where the patient instructs the healthcare provider not to upload the information. Patients may request that certain information or documents are not uploaded to My Health Record and the healthcare provider must comply with the request.
2. Where state-based privacy laws apply. Healthcare providers must comply with State and Territory laws pertaining to consent and the disclosure of sensitive information (such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) results). Relevant laws apply in New South Wales, Queensland, and the Australian Capital Territory.

Quality health records are fundamental to achieving interoperability across the healthcare system. As digital reforms move ahead, the ability to share accurate and consistent health data will be integral to clinical decision-making, reducing errors, and improving patient safety by preventing information gaps.

High-quality records can support population health management and research by enabling the identification of specific patient cohorts to enable targeted interventions. Maintaining data quality builds trust among patients and providers, fostering more integrated, efficient, and coordinated care.