The Royal Children’s Hospital launched its Electronic Medical Record (EMR) on 30 April 2016. We are one of the first paediatric hospitals in Australia to replace paper-based medical records with a comprehensive state-of-the-art electronic record.

We've rolled out the EMR so that our health care professionals will have the most up-to-date and accurate information, all in one place, when they care for your child.

The new system will improve communication among doctors, nurses, allied health professionals and the rest of your care team, helping them deliver even safer care.

It will also help us communicate better with you through ‘My RCH Portal’, a new secure, online hub where you can access parts of your medical record through the internet.

What is an EMR?

An Electronic Medical Record (EMR) is a computerised version of a paper-based medical record.

Patient health information is entered into the EMR by the clinicians caring for your child as they provide care. Paper-based records are no longer be used at the RCH.

How will the EMR improve my child’s care?

The RCH has implemented the EMR to help us deliver even safer care to our patients and their families. Here are a few of the benefits it will deliver.

Access to information

One of the biggest benefits of the EMR is that your child’s clinical information is in one place, easy to read and readily accessible to all of the clinicians involved in your child’s care. Clinicians no longer need to chase up, or share, a single paper based record. This will make it much easier for clinicians to search and access the information they need to make the best decision about your child’s care. Through the EMR, some of your child’s health information can also be shared with your GP so they can better care for you when you and your child go home. 

Support with clinical decision making

The EMR supports clinicians to make the best decisions about your child’s care.

Up-to-date information, prompts, warnings and alerts in the system help them to determine what care is needed. For example, the EMR can help clinicians decide which test your child needs by giving them a comprehensive understanding of all of the investigations and results your child has already had.

In other hospitals where an EMR has been introduced it has helped reduce the number of test some children need by removing duplication or helping identify when a test is unnecessary.

Medication safety

The EMR makes dispensing medicines even safer. The system offers prompts and warnings to clinicians as they make decisions about the medicines your child needs.

Your child’s allergy information is very clear to all clinicians involved in your child’s care.

Quicker results

The EMR may make some hospital processes quicker, meaning you and your child can go home sooner. For example, the EMR will help reduce the amount of time it takes for a medication to be dispensed, once it has been ordered by your doctor. In some hospitals with an EMR, the time saved for families has been up to an hour and a half.

Participating in research

The EMR notifies your clinician if your child is eligible for a research study so they can offer you the opportunity participate.