Key messages

• HISAC believes that the New Zealand health system can be more effective, achieve higher quality health care outcomes, improve patient safety, and reduce error, through the appropriate access and use of personal health information.

• Within five years, New Zealanders should enjoy the same degree of confidence with the access to, and use of, their personal health information electronically that they currently enjoy with their banking information.

• The Committee will engage with the community and clinicians to advance this agenda.

• The Committee acknowledges the foundations laid by the action zones set out in the Health Information Strategy for NZ 2005 and strongly supports the current focus on ‘eEvents’, such as electronic prescribing, exchange of laboratory ordering and results, and electronic referrals and discharge summaries. These will be universally available by June 2010.

• HISAC believes the development of a core summary record of personal health information to be stored and accessed electronically is the next logical development area