The Tasmanian Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is moving to cut the voluminous paper records required to monitor the health and safety of its employees via the rollout of a statewide occupational health record information system.
The system, which will manage the details of some 12,000 employees, will capture, manage and maintain a full range of occupational medicine activities for DHHS staff. Specific information includes employee health assessments, occupational exposure, vaccinations and clinical consultations.
According to the DHHS, moving to an electronic system will reduce the amount of storage required for the hard copy health records — presently some 8500 — and allow the agency to report on a number of parameters and allow easy production of vaccination updates.
“A new statewide Workplace Health and Wellbeing Service (Occupational Health Service) is being initiated across the DHHS,” agency documents on the initiative read.
“It is intended that an Electronic Occupational Health Record system will support the effective delivery and management of occupational health services across the State, and will replace the various existing manual paper-based processes and spreadsheets used.”
The last notable rollout from the DHHS was for the completion of a $4.6 million patient management system across the state from troubled e-health provider iSoft.
The system, which was to set the foundation for the Tasmanian Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) for a shared electronic health record system, was first announced in February 2008.
The system will integrate patient information across all of Tasmania's public hospitals, including the Royal Hobart, Launceston General, and North West Regional Acute hospitals.
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