General News
28 May, 2025
Mareeba Hospital goes digital
THE Mareeba Hospital became the last of nine rural hospitals in the region to convert from paper to digital health records last week.
Every hospital within the Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service (CHHHS) has now implemented the integrated electronic Medical Record (ieMR) system as part of an 18-month project to significantly improve health services across the region.
“It’s really exciting because it now puts us in line with all the other facilities in the region,” Mareeba director of nursing and midwifery Michelle Bombardieri said.
“It will help streamline the journey for the patient through different health services and provide that continuity of care.
“To have information on a patient in a timely fashion and to have one record for one patient is going to be a lot easier for the staff as well.”
Other facilities who have also converted to a digitised system include Gordonvale, Innisfail, Tully, Atherton, Herberton, Mossman, Yarrabah, and Babinda. Cairns Hospital also underwent an upgrade to its existing ieMR system in November last year.
CHHHS director rural and remote services, Terry Johnson, said every patient who attends one of these facilities will now receive a digital record.
“This is going to have such a positive impact on our rural and remote patients as it means their digital record can be securely accessed by clinicians across the state,” she said.
“It can be so overwhelming for patients who need to be transported to other facilities for care where they have previously had to repeat their stories to unfamiliar clinicians.
“Having a digital system, is also going to allow our clinicians to spend more time with their patients and potentially reduce the need for unnecessary tests and travel.”
Ms Johnson said as part of the upgrade, more than 4,700 staff across CHHHS had received “dedicated training and at-elbow support”, and more than 110 new devices had been installed at each of the facilities.
CHHHS is one of five Hospital and Health Services which have been part of this phase of the digital rollout.
It now joins seven other health services in Queensland that have a fully integrated electronic medical system across all hospital facilities.
Historic paper records will remain on site at each facility for clinician access when required.
