Introducing the new my health app!

By Margaret Dempsey, RN, APNA Digital Health Project Officer 

Source: APNA Primary Times Winter 2023 (Volume 23 Issue 1)


My Health Record is a secure online summary of key patient health information. However, not all health-care providers have access to My Health Record via their clinical software systems. The new my health mobile app provides consumers with secure and convenient access to their My Health Record information, anywhere, anytime. 

What is my health? 

The my health app is an Australian Digital Health Agency owned and managed app that can be used to access key health information in My Health Record. This free app can be installed on a mobile device and used to view important health-related information.  

 

What information can be found on my health? 

The my health app contains the same information that is included in a person’s My Health Record. The user-friendly home screen (pictured) identifies the following sections where information can be found: 

  • Medicines  
  • Allergies and reactions 
  • Immunisations 
  • COVID-19 vaccinations and tests 
  • Scans (diagnostic imaging) 
  • Test results (pathology) 
  • Documents (including Shared Health Summaries and Event Summaries) 
  • Hospital visits (including Discharge Summaries) 
  • Advance Care Planning documents 
  • Organ donation information 

 

How will health-care providers and patients benefit from my health? 

APNA spoke with primary health care nurse consultant Jane Bollen to better understand the benefits of this new technology for health-care providers and consumers. Jane sees great benefit for patients who have easy access to their own health information. She notes that my health will be particularly useful during consultations with health-care providers who cannot access My Health Record – for example, many allied health providers or medical specialists are not currently connected to the My Health Record system. Patients will now be able to provide health information to these providers during consultations, enabling more informed discussions and decisions to occur. 

Travellers who require health care will also benefit. The my health app is the perfect way for people to share their health information with health-care providers who are unfamiliar with them and their health-care needs. In these circumstances, the patient can open my health on their phone during the consultation and share any health information they wish to. ‘For this reason, it’s very important that nurses and other health-care providers keep their patient’s information up to date in My Health Record,’ says Jane. 

‘Access to health information via the my health app will be useful for patients who have multiple medical conditions or have trouble remembering their medical history.’ — PHC nurse consultant Jane Bollen 

 

Getting started: How do patients/consumers access my health? 

Patients/consumers wanting access to my health on their mobile device will need a MyGov account already linked to My Health Record; they will also need to have accessed My Health Record at least once through a web browser. The app can be downloaded by searching 'my health gov' in the Google Play Store (for Android devices) or the Apple App Store (for iOS devices). Open the app, select ‘Get Started’ and follow the prompts – it’s that simple! 

 

What is the best way for nurses to access clinical information contained in My Health Record? 

As health-care providers, the best way for nurses to access My Health Record is still to access it through conformant software whilst you have the patient file open. However, my health is beneficial for patients, who can easily and securely access information contained in their My Health Record via the app. Therefore, it’s important that nurses and other health-care providers keep information up to date on My Health Record by uploading Shared Health Summaries or Event Summaries as appropriate. 

 

For more information about the my health app 

Visit the Australian Digital Health Agency to learn more about connecting to my health: https://www.digitalhealth.gov.au/myhealth 

Scan this QR code to hear nurses Margaret Dempsey and Jane Bollen discuss the advantages of the new my health app:

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