Clinical software packages can be improved to help general practitioners to increase provision of preventive care

Abstract

Despite the importance of prevention in general practice, electronic clinical record systems used in Australian general practice do not present a comprehensive overview of each patient’s preventive care status to general practitioners or to patients. Data relevant to prevention is scattered between different parts of the patient’s record. On-screen reminders to general practitioners are simplistic and easily overlooked and no reminders are sent automatically to patients. There is no structured means to note a patient’s refusal of or ineligibility for a particular preventive activity. Electronic clinical record systems should be enhanced to allow patients to be invited automatically at appropriate times to review and respond to comprehensive information and advice about preventive care that is recommended for them. Users of electronic clinical record systems will need to lobby their software vendors to have the proposed enhancements made.