08 November 2005

NSW Health's Blue Book turns 18

NSW Health is calling on all parents and health care workers to take part in a review of the Blue Book. The Blue Book, also known as the Personal Health Record, will turn 18 in January next year, and will receive a full makeover based on the results of the review.

The NSW Health Blue Book is a patient-held health record, which has been given to all new parents in NSW since January 1 1988.

NSW Health Clinical Advisor for Child and Maternal Health, Dr Elisabeth Murphy, said the Blue Book facilitates parents' involvement and supports them in their role as the primary care giver.

"The Blue Book is mostly used by parents of children under five years of age, predominantly to record immunisation information, growth and visits to the family doctor," said Dr Murphy.

"This review aims to identify possible improvements and future developments of the book to make sure it remains a useful record of a child's health and development for parents.

"We are encouraging all parents and health professionals to participate in this review so they may contribute to the development of this highly worthwhile tool. As users of the Blue Book, their input into its evaluation is highly regarded and will serve as an important source of knowledge for the review," Dr Murphy said.

The Blue Book provides a patient-held record for the first 18 years of a person's life. It provides a structure for routine child health screening, including checklists for parents and health practitioners. The Blue Book also includes topics for discussion relevant to particular ages and stages of a child's development, supports communication between professionals and enhances continuity of care.

The Blue Book online questionnaire is available on the NSW Health website at www.health.nsw.gov.au. There are separate questionnaires for parents and health practitioners, and all questionnaires are completely anonymous.

Anyone wishing to participate in the review, but who cannot access the internet, can call Ms April Hyde, at NSW Health, on (02) 9391 9578.

For a range of health information, go online to www.health.nsw.gov.au