2012 is the year to swap pen and paper for mouse and keyboard to manage referrals in Auckland.
Referrals are a critical part of the patient journey, enabling doctors to work together to provide the patient with the right care at the right time.
Currently, a large variety of paper-based processes are used to refer patients to hospitals for outpatient appointments.
Despite the best intentions and systems, paper gets lost or mixed up and there have been cases where this has had a serious effect on the care of patients.
Waitemata, Counties Manukau and Auckland District Health Boards are introducing a system to enable referrals to be sent electronically to all six hospitals in the Auckland region, improving the quality of care for patients.
The aim of the eReferrals project is to ensure that all patients in the Auckland Region are referred to the right practitioner with the right information at the right time, and receive the right response.
eReferrals will improve information transfer between primary and secondary care providers by reducing duplication and minimising errors that occur through incomplete information or lost referrals. It also means that GPs can spend less time on paperwork and more time with patients.
Project update
Read the latest news on the Auckland Region eReferrals project.