GPs and Sunrise EMR & PAS

General Practitioners (GPs) are pivotal in the management of patient care in the South Australian community.

SA Health acknowledges that partnering and connecting with GPs is critical to improving health outcomes for patients – this includes the provision of information and training about its electronic medical record system, Sunrise EMR & PAS (Sunrise EMR).

As a GP in South Australia, SA Health’s electronic medical record system may provide additional tools to assist you in providing patient care.

By understanding its function, and how it interacts with the federal government’s My Health Record, it is hoped you will be sufficiently informed to respond to patients’ questions or able to direct enquiries appropriately.

About Sunrise EMR

Sunrise EMR is a state-based electronic medical record used at major public hospitals, GP Plus Health Care Centres and Super Clinics in metropolitan Adelaide and in some regional areas where it is the primary clinical and administrative documentation system for managing patient care - view all locations.

GP training requirements

For GPs who are commencing work at a hospital or healthcare service that uses Sunrise EMR & PAS, training will be arranged by their SA Health employer.

GPs who are already working at a hospital or health service that is transitioning to Sunrise EMR & PAS will be included in the activation training plan developed for the site.

Access to Sunrise EMR & PAS is only available to GPs who work at SA Health public hospitals and healthcare facilities where Sunrise is the primary patient administration and clinical documentation system.

Sunrise EMR and My Health Record

As a GP, you may have access to certain Sunrise clinical documents in your patient’s My Health Record.

The following list contains examples of key clinical documents that can be viewed in Sunrise from an individual’s My Health Record where one exists and GPs have authority to access it:

  • discharge (separation) summaries
  • Sunrise discharge summaries are shared to a patient’s My Health Record (where the patient has a My Health Record and is over the age of 18) unless the patient advises their treating doctor not to send on each visit.
  • pathology and medical imaging reports
  • prescription and pharmacy dispensing information
  • letters from specialists
  • Advance Care Directives.

GP referrals

Outpatient services using Sunrise EMR are required to register patients in line with the SA Health Client Identification Standards.

Referrals need to contain patient demographic information that allows patients to be identified and registered in Sunrise EMR.

Relevant clinical information should be included in GP referrals to avoid potential delays in patients being seen, and to assist hospital outpatient services to triage patients appropriately.

Outpatient letters

Sunrise EMR will generate a letter for GPs with information about a patient’s outpatient visit. The format of the letter was developed following consultation with GPs.

Clinicians can choose to include in the letter any information that is relevant to the continuing care provided to patients by GPs.

Medication management

In addition to improving clinical and administrative processes, Sunrise EMR brings improvements to medication management through electronically generated prescriptions. If you want to know more view information for pharmacists.

Patient privacy in Sunrise

Sunrise EMR ensures patient medical information is private and secure – view information for patients, families and community.

For more information

See the following for further information: