Electronic discharge summary (EDS) systems
A discharge summary consists of curated health information to support safer transition and follow-up care after a patient’s discharge from hospital. High-quality and timely discharge summaries enhance patient safety. Electronic discharge summary (EDS) systems can support high-quality and timely discharge summaries through standardisation to reduce errors, improve efficiency and accountability.
An electronic discharge summary (EDS) consists of curated health information about a patient's hospital encounter, which is transmitted electronically to the nominated primary healthcare provider, with the aim of facilitating continuity of care.
National guidelines for presentation of electronic discharge summaries
The National guidelines for presentation of electronic discharge summaries (the Guidelines) aim to enhance the overall quality and usability of the electronic discharge summary (EDS), contributing to better patient outcomes at transitions of care. The Guidelines provide recommendations related to:
- content
- relative position of components
- formatting and presentation
- functionality to support a high-quality EDS
The Guidelines have been updated from the last edition published in 2017. They were developed following a literature review and environmental scan. The Guidelines were refined through extensive stakeholder consultation including:
- Interactive workshops with state and territory representatives
- Online survey targeting authors of an EDS (Acute hospital setting)
- Online survey targeting recipients of an EDS (Primary care setting)
Read more about the survey findings in a published paper via the external link https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39320187/
The guidelines are intended to be used primarily by health service organisations that procure and implement systems that generate and transmit electronic discharge summaries.
Note
The guidelines are based on the best evidence available at the time of development. Healthcare professionals are advised to use clinical discretion and consideration of the circumstances of the individual patient, in consultation with the patient and/or their carer or guardian when incorporating the guidelines into clinical practice, and applying information contained in the guidelines to electronic discharge summary systems.