NZ Shared Digital Health Record set for mid-2026 launch; Australia boosts FHIR training

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In New Zealand, Te Whatu Ora announced that the Shared Digital Health Record (SDHR), which facilitates patient-consented data sharing, will now begin by mid-2026. This record will be accessible through existing portals used in general practice, telehealth, and emergency care. The initial phase allows general practices to share read-only data from their management systems. Following this, primary health organizations will support the scaling up of information sharing before nationwide use. In Australia, the Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA) launched four updated training courses with HL7 Australia to prepare the healthcare workforce for My Health Record's transition to FHIR. The curriculum covers FHIR fundamentals, project management implementation, SMART on FHIR applications, and switching from legacy HL7 v2 standards. ADHA has already trained over 1,000 participants and plans to continue funding this program for various health professionals. Additionally, Toowoomba hospitals in Queensland adopted a digital pre-surgery pathway (MyProcedure). Developed with Personify Care, this system digitizes patient intake and triage, replacing paper forms. This improves safety, efficiency, and allows clinicians timely access to accurate data before surgery. These developments highlight the ongoing efforts across different countries to standardize data sharing using modern standards like FHIR and improve clinical workflows through digital technology adoption.