Empowering access to key health information: my health app

Developed by the Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA), the my health app is a significant step forward in enhancing continuity of care and reducing the burden on people to recall critical health information during consultations.
 
For many, remembering detailed histories − such as medicine changes, allergies, or recent test results − can be challenging. The my health app addresses this by allowing people to view and share their key health information directly from their smartphones. This includes vital documents like hospital discharge summaries, pathology results, and medicine lists, once uploaded by healthcare providers to My Health Record.
 
The recent integration of functionality to enable a secure and convenient way to store electronic prescriptions also allows people to view and manage their Active Script List within the app, simplifying medicine management.
 
Supporting GPs and improving care coordination
While GPs can continue to update and access My Health Record via their clinical information systems, the my health app is empowering people to become active partners in their healthcare journey. For those seeing multiple healthcare providers, the app ensures they can see and share up-to-date health information, helping to reduce duplication of tests and improve care coordination.
 
Having patients arrive at consultations prepared with access to their key health information that may not be readily available to the GP can streamline appointments and reduce time spent gathering missing information. This can enhance the efficiency of consultations, allowing more time for clinical decision-making and patient-centred care.
 
The app is particularly useful in after-hours or emergency care settings. When people present to unfamiliar healthcare providers, access to My Health Record via the app can help avoid medicine errors and provide crucial information that may otherwise be unavailable, supporting safer and more informed clinical decisions.
 
Realising the full potential of My Health Record
All of these benefits rely on healthcare providers actively contributing information to My Health Record, such as Event Summaries and other clinical documents. Recent legislation changes have established requirements for healthcare providers to share key health information to My Health Record by default. Pathology and diagnostic imaging providers will be the first healthcare providers required to share test results to My Health Record which will further enhance its completeness and utility.
 
The my health app employs robust security and privacy measures to protect personal health information. People can be confident their data is safeguarded while benefiting from easy access to their health records and complete control over who has access to it and even the ability to see when it was accessed.
 
The app is available free of charge for both iOS and Android devices, making it accessible to a broad range of Australians looking to take greater control of their health.
 
The RACGP encourages GPs to actively promote the my health app to their patients and to continue contributing timely and accurate information to My Health Record. Together, these efforts will support safer, more coordinated, and person-centred care across Australia’s health system.
 
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ADHA Australian Digital Health Agency digital health My Health app My Health Record