The following table outlines the key differences between Shared Health Summaries and Event Summaries, and provides examples of when they should be created and who is authorised to create them.
What is it?
Shared Health Summary
Represents a patient’s health status at a point in time. This will include known information in four key areas: patient’s medical conditions, medicines, allergies/adverse reactions and immunisations.
A patient has only one current Shared Health Summary at a time.
Event Summary
Captures key health information about a significant healthcare event that is relevant to the ongoing care of the patient,e.g. indicating a clinical intervention, improvement in a condition or treatment has been started or completed.
Who can create and upload?
Shared Health Summary
Shared Health Summaries are prepared and uploaded by a patient’s Nominated Healthcare Provider – the patient’s regular provider. They can be either a:
- Medical practitioner registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA)
- Nurse registered with AHPRA
- Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Practitioner registered with AHPRA
Event Summary
Event Summaries are intended for healthcare providers who are not the patient’s regular provider/ Nominated Healthcare Provider.
They can be created and uploaded by any healthcare provider with a Healthcare Provider Identifier–Individual (HPI-I) who is working at a participating healthcare organisation and involved in the patient’s care.
When to create?
Shared Health Summary
Examples include:
- When completing a patient health assessment (e.g. GP Management Plan, 75+ Assessment, child health check)
- Significant changes to a patient’s health status in any of the four key areas: patient’s medical conditions, medicines, allergies/adverse reactions or immunisation's.
The Shared Heath Summary should be created in consultation with the patient.
Event Summary
Examples include:
- Patients visiting an after-hours medical service
- Holidaying patients
- Patients visiting from another area
- Patients receiving an immunisation or flu vaccine.
Generally, an Event Summary is used when it is not appropriate for the healthcare provider to create and upload a Shared Health Summary, Discharge Summary or Specialist Letter.
How to create?
Shared Health Summary
See the clinical software simulators and software summary sheets. If your software is not among these training resources, contact your vendor for guidance.
Event Summary
See the clinical software simulators and software summary sheets. If your software is not among these training resources, contact your vendor for guidance.
