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An event summary captures key health information about significant healthcare events that are relevant to the ongoing care of an individual.

An event summary may be used to indicate a clinical intervention, improvement in a condition or that a treatment has been started or completed.

An event summary may contain:

  • allergies and adverse reactions
  • medicines
  • diagnoses
  • interventions
  • immunisations
  • diagnostic investigations.

View example of an event summary

Who can create an event summary?

Any healthcare provider at any participating healthcare organisation that has a Healthcare Provider Identifier - Individual (HPI-I) – such as an after-hours GP clinic, hospital, community pharmacy or an allied health organisation - can upload an event summary to an individual's My Health Record (if they have clinical software with this functionality).

What is the difference between a shared health summary and an event summary?

For regular patients, a GP, Registered Nurse or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioner is likely to create or update a shared health summary to give a holistic picture of an individual's health at a point in time.

The event summary is intended for use by healthcare providers who are not the patient's regular healthcare provider (i.e. not their regular medical practitioner, Registered Nurse or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioner), to give information about a patient's significant healthcare events (for example receiving travel immunisations) or to indicate a change in their health status (for example the end of wound management).

The types of events recorded in an event summary will vary, and across healthcare sectors there will be different common scenarios. Some examples of what an event summary could be used for include:

Travelling/transient patients

Offering to upload an event summary for a holidaying patient or an individual on the move means less reliance on the patient's memory of the event when they return to their regular provider, which could affect any future care provided to the patient.

Patient receiving an after-hours medical service

In a situation where a patient is not visiting their regular GP (e.g. at the weekend or over a public holiday) but the healthcare event and diagnosis are significant, it may be useful for the healthcare provider to upload an event summary. The diagnosis could be referenced by the patient, their regular GP and any future healthcare providers.

Patient receiving travel immunisations or a flu vaccine

This is information about a patient that is clinically relevant for other healthcare providers, but may not necessarily be administered by their regular provider. It may not trigger an update to the shared health summary - in which case an event summary could be used.

Patients receiving a service from a healthcare provider who are not authorised to upload a shared health summary

Event summaries can be completed by authorised healthcare providers who are not authorised to upload a shared health summary. This could be, for example, an Allied Health Professional who is wanting to share a summary of the consultation.

Do I need my patient's consent to upload an event summary?

No. The My Health Records Legislative framework authorises registered Healthcare Provider Organisations, involved in a patient's care, to upload clinical information. There is no requirement to obtain consent on each occasion prior to uploading clinical information. There is also no requirement for the patient to review the event summary before it is uploaded to their My Health Record.

The Australian Medical Association (AMA) states that it is good medical practice to advise a patient that you will be uploading information to their My Health Record, particularly if this information might be considered sensitive. See section 4.5 of the AMA's Guide to using the PCEHR.

Can I edit or delete an event summary once it is uploaded?

The author of a clinical document can delete a clinical document from the My Health Record system if, for instance, it has been uploaded in error or contains a mistake.

An event summary cannot be edited once it is in the My Health Record system, however they can be superseded by a new version that replaces the original.

How do I create an event summary?

The information contained in an Event Summary should be in a format that can be understood by healthcare providers outside of your own organisation. It should describe and summarise the presentation of the event, the assessment made, and the action taken. As per standard practice, all clinically relevant information should be recorded and saved in the patient's local notes.

If you decide to create an event Summary, it should be one of the final tasks at the end of the consultation, after the healthcare provider has entered a progress note, updated medical history and made any changes to the patient's medication regime in the local record.

Each conformant software type has its own individual method for creating event summaries but document layout will be consistent across any software platform.

Healthcare providers can learn how to create and upload a Shared Health Summary to a patient’s My Health Record with the following:

Clinical software simulators

There are a range of clinical software simulators or sandboxes with which you can simulate creating and uploading an event summary to a fictional patient’s My Health Record. The software simulators include: Bp Premier, MedicalDirector, Zedmed, Genie, and Communicare.

Access clinical software simulators

Clinical software demonstrations

There are a range of slide-shows showing how to create and upload an event summary in some clinical software products:

Clinical software summary sheets


PDF icon Bp Premier

PDF icon Genie

PDF icon Medical Director

PDF icon Medtech32

PDF icon Zedmed

PDF icon Communicare