HSBH1012 · Introduction to Health and Health Care
Digital Health
Week 12 of University of Sydney HSBH1012 examines digital health: definitions of digital health and eHealth, the crucial EMR-versus-EHR distinction, My Health Record, patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs, e.g. SF-36), wearables and patient-generated data, the tension between data entry and patient care, and questions of data ownership. The recurring theme is that Australia's digital health mirrors its disjointed health system, so data rarely crosses the federal/state/personal divide. Its reading (Ballantyne, 2020, on clinical data ownership) is in the reflection-exam pool.
What this chapter covers
- 01Digital health (Australian Digital Health Agency) and eHealth (WHO): ICT to improve health care and outcomes; digital health is the umbrella term
- 02Digital health mirrors the disjointed system: personal tools (apps, wearables), state systems (EMRs), federal systems (telehealth, My Health Record)
- 03EMR vs EHR: EMR = records within a single organisation; EHR = spans multiple organisations and follows the patient
- 04My Health Record: an online summary viewable anywhere; challenges of low uptake, usability and incompleteness
- 05The data-entry vs patient-care tension: benefits of EMRs versus time cost and reduced eye contact
- 06Patient-generated health data: wearables and PROMs
- 07PROMs (Patient Reported Outcome Measures): direct patient reports of symptoms, function and quality of life (e.g. SF-36); generic, condition- and population-specific
- 08Data ownership and AI/bias in digital health (Ballantyne, 2020)
Applied: distinguish EMR from EHR and evaluate My Health Record
- +2(a) An EMR (electronic medical record) is the digital record created and held within a single healthcare organisation (one hospital or clinic). An EHR (electronic health record) contains information from all clinicians involved in a patient's care and is created, managed and added to across multiple organisations, so it is shareable and follows the patient.
- +1(b) The EHR is designed to follow the patient from hospital to nursing home, because — unlike an EMR confined to one organisation — it is built to be shared across providers and settings.
- +2(c) Reason 1: low uptake by professionals — if clinicians don't add information, the record isn't useful, creating a vicious cycle. Reason 2: it is not a complete source — patients can remove items, and poor usability plus high reading/e-health-literacy demands limit its value; privacy concerns further reduce trust.
Key terms
- Digital health / eHealth
- Digital health (Australian Digital Health Agency) is any application of ICT to improve health care and outcomes; it is the umbrella term. eHealth (WHO) is the use of ICT in support of health, and includes mHealth.
- EMR (electronic medical record)
- A digital record created and held within a single healthcare organisation (one hospital or clinic), containing that organisation's medical history, diagnoses, medications and results.
- EHR (electronic health record)
- A record containing information from all clinicians involved in a patient's care, created and managed across multiple organisations, shareable across settings so it follows the patient.
- My Health Record
- An online summary of a person's health information, viewable securely anywhere; a federal initiative limited by low uptake, poor usability, incompleteness (patients can remove items) and privacy concerns.
- PROMs (Patient Reported Outcome Measures)
- Reports of health status coming directly from the patient without clinician interpretation — questionnaires on symptoms, function and quality of life (generic, condition- or population-specific); e.g. the SF-36.
- Data-entry vs patient-care tension
- The trade-off in which EMRs make information legible, complete and shareable but take time to enter and can reduce eye contact and interaction with the patient.
Digital Health FAQ
What is the difference between an EMR and an EHR?
An EMR (electronic medical record) is created and held within a single healthcare organisation — one hospital's or clinic's digital chart. An EHR (electronic health record) draws on all clinicians involved in a patient's care, is created and managed across multiple organisations, and is designed to be shared so it follows the patient (for example from hospital to nursing home). This distinction is the most examinable fact in Week 12, so make sure you can state it crisply.
What are PROMs and why do they matter?
PROMs (Patient Reported Outcome Measures) are reports of a patient's health status that come directly from the patient without clinician interpretation — questionnaires about symptoms, daily functioning and quality of life, such as the SF-36. They come in generic, condition-specific and population-specific forms and are used to improve patient-provider communication, compare treatments and providers, and inform population surveillance and policy. They are a key form of patient-generated health data alongside wearables.
Why does My Health Record often fail to deliver?
Because digital health mirrors Australia's disjointed system, and My Health Record depends on everyone contributing. Professionals under-use it, so records are incomplete and therefore less useful — a vicious cycle — and it is not a complete source because patients can remove items. Poor usability, high reading and e-health-literacy demands, and privacy concerns further limit uptake. The unit takes a critical view, so a good answer weighs its promise against these real limitations.
Can AI help me with Week 12 digital health?
Yes. Sia can drill you on EMR versus EHR, explain PROMs and My Health Record, unpack the data-entry-versus-care tension, and coach a reflection on Ballantyne (2020) about data ownership. It explains the concepts step by step and checks your reasoning; it does not complete graded assessment for you. Confirm assessment details on Canvas.
Exam move
Make the EMR-versus-EHR distinction automatic — EMR is one organisation, EHR spans many and follows the patient — because it is the week's most examinable fact and a reliable exam question. Layer on the definitions (digital health as the umbrella term over eHealth), PROMs (direct patient reports, e.g. SF-36, in generic/condition/population-specific forms), and the critical take on My Health Record (low uptake, incompleteness, usability and privacy). Hold the recurring theme in mind: Australia's digital health mirrors its disjointed system, so data rarely crosses the federal/state/personal divide. For the reflection exam, pair Ballantyne (2020) on data ownership with the data-entry-versus-care tension. Ask Sia to test you on EMR/EHR and PROMs.
Working through Digital Health in HSBH1012? Sia is AskSia’s AI Health Sciences tutor — ask any HSBH1012 Digital Health question and get a clear, step-by-step explanation grounded in how HSBH1012 is taught and assessed. Read this chapter free, then take your hardest questions to Sia.
