Infrastructure gaps must be filled to make e-health a reality

An e-health system that connects patient information across health care settings - and to which treating doctors and other health workers have access, and to which they can contribute - will improve the safety and quality of medical care in Australia. A well-designed e-health system makes the best use of existing health care services and avoids errors, duplication and waste. Although Australia has made significant progress in developing technical specifications and standards for e-health systems, the time has come to build the overarching infrastructure to make e-health a reality.