For the very first time, patients and families at the RCH have access to their medical records, and it’s our generous community of supporters who helped make it happen.
This follows the launch of Australia’s first comprehensive patient and family portal – My RCH Portal.
My RCH Portal is a website and app that allows parents and guardians to access key elements of their child’s medical records. Never before have families had such access to information about their child’s care when and where they need it, and it is making a significant difference.
Two-year-old Benjamin is one of the RCH’s Complex Care patients, meaning he sees a number of doctors and specialists as part of his ongoing care needs. For Benjamin’s family, the My RCH Portal is a game-changer.
Benjamin’s Mum Tracy explained the portal is a one-stop shop, helping to manage appointments and providing her with important, up to date information.
“It has made things a lot easier because I can look at results as soon as they are loaded on the portal, and without having to contact a doctor,” said Tracy.
“Benny sees many different specialists, so to be able to find everything all in the one place has made things easier. I also don’t have to carry around a heap of paperwork with me anymore!”
Hospital CEO Professor Christine Kilpatrick said the Portal is harnessing the power of digital technology to transform healthcare for Victorian children and their families and further cementing Melbourne’s reputation as a global leader in paediatrics.
“My RCH Portal is a new way for the hospital to put patients at the centre of care and empowers families to take better care of themselves.
“It’s one of the most transformative aspects of the hospital’s electronic medical record and we’re very excited to share it with the community,” said Professor Kilpatrick.
The My RCH Portal is a user friendly and accessible tool, enabling families to:
- Add or update information on their RCH electronic medical record about medication, allergies or other health problems
- Request, confirm or cancel upcoming hospital appointments
- See which medications have been prescribed and instructions for taking them
- See test and imaging result
- Read some of the notes taken by doctors in appointments
- View their child’s healthcare plans.
My RCH Portal was developed as part of the hospital’s $48 million Electronic Medical Record (EMR), which went live in April 2016. Once again leading the way, the RCH was one of the first paediatric hospitals in Australia to replace paper-based medical records with a comprehensive electronic record.
One of the biggest benefits of the EMR is that is ensures a child’s clinical information is all in one place that’s easy to read and readily accessible to all of the clinicians involved in that child’s care. Having electronic medical records means clinicians no longer need to chase up, or share, a single paper based record.
The EMR project was jointly funded by the Victorian Government, the hospital, and the RCH Foundation. The RCH Foundation contribution enabled the inclusion of additional functionality within the RCH EMR such as the My RCH Portal.