SA on track to roll-out electronic patient care record system by 2026

electronic digital medical record healthcare

South Australia has awarded a tender to digitise the patient record system utilised by the state ambulance service to global healthcare information company, Dedalus.

The successful tender follows after the state government committed $23.5 million from the 2024-25 State Budget to develop and implement an electronic patient care record (ePCR) system, allowing ambulance crews to digitally document patient information on the go and remove the tedious data entry work required with current handwritten clinical case cards.

An ePCR Clinical Team has been established within the SA Ambulance Service (SAAS) to spearhead the solution, including any clinical requirements, governance, testing and transition.

“We are now one step closer to having an electronic patient care record system across the South Australian Ambulance Service,” Minister for Health and Wellbeing, Chris Picton, said.

“This will bring ambulance patient care records and ambulance data into the 21st century.

“This project is a game-changer for SAAS, and builds on our Government hiring more ambos and building and upgrading ambulance stations across the state.

“We are providing our crews with the essential tools they need to excel in their roles and deliver lifesaving care to patients.”

The ePCR system is designed to enhance the efficiency of out-of-hospital patient care and eventual inter-healthcare communication across the South Australian network, ensuring paramedics are able to access necessary patient data to provide improved quality of care and are able to better communicate with hospital staff over patients’ existing medical data.

“The shift from paper-based clinical records to a fully integrated electronic system will have a significant and positive impact on our organisation,” SAAS Chief Executive Officer, Rob Elliott, said.

“Our primary focus is on giving our workforce the tools and information they need to deliver better healthcare outcomes. By implementing an electronic patient care record solution, we are enabling our clinicians to access and share critical clinical information seamlessly, which is essential for effective patient care and decision-making. We will also harness that data to be a more efficient and effective ambulance service for South Australia.

“The next steps are crucial for the success of this project as we begin to define the work ahead. As we move forward, we will concentrate on key areas, particularly in clinical design decisions, to ensure the ePCR solution is tailored to meet the needs of our clinicians and the broader health network.”

The ePCR devices are expected to be rolled out state-wide by June 2026 in over 500 ambulance vehicles, including emergency and patient transport ambulances, extended care and community paramedics, SAAS MedSTAR and special operations teams, as well as some light ambulance fleet.

“We are honoured that SAAS has chosen amPHI™ ePCR, Dedalus’ digital pre-hospital platform, to transform the care chain from pre-hospital to hospital in South Australia, continuing the success achieved with other amPHI partners,” Dedalus Australia General Manager, Travis Stephenson, said.

“This partnership to deploy amPHI ePCR will provide live streaming mission-critical data between responding units and receiving hospitals. Through this digital investment, further collaboration across the care continuum and seamless clinical handovers can be achieved. Live chat, image, and ECG sharing further aid the collective patient management between ambulance and hospital teams.

“At Dedalus, we are dedicated to providing healthcare software, applying our global expertise and drawing on over 35 years in Australia to support both public and private healthcare providers.

“With over 800 implementations of Dedalus solutions across the region we are committed to supporting the Minister to deliver value, and care, to the people of South Australia.”