This page 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
An 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
A shared health summary can only be authored/created by a patient's nominated healthcare provider (as defined in the My Health Records Act 2012). A nominated healthcare provider can be:
- a registered medical practitioner; or
- a registered nurse; or
- an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioner with a Cert IV in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Primary Health Care.
Note: an enrolled nurse is not permitted by the Act to author/create a shared health summary. An enrolled nurse can create an event summary to share information about a significant clinical event, provided the enrolled nurse is providing healthcare to the patient.
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 immunisations.
The shared health 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.
