Doctors hope a national register of medicines taken by patients will lead to fewer repeat tests needed during visits to the GP.
Patients and doctors will soon get a full view of medical history in online records as part of federal government reforms sparked by a woman's overdose death.
Erin Collins died in August 2025 after she doctor shopped for medications to treat mental health via several digital health platforms.
Medical professionals were unaware of the 24-year-old's prior hospital visits or the complexities of her condition.
Following months of advocacy, Erin's grieving mum Alison is hopeful doctors can detect potential medication abuse after the first steps to creating a national medicine record were announced on Wednesday.
"Erin's story is creating change, so no other family has to through what we did," she said in a statement.
Health Minister Mark Butler vowed to introduce the changes to ensure medicines-related information is available to patients and healthcare providers through an online record.
“Ms Collins's bravery and advocacy while enduring the tragic loss of her daughter Erin will have a profound impact on the safety of online prescribing practices in Australia," Mr Butler said.
"Ensuring this information is accessible to a patient’s usual GP and other healthcare providers will support safer clinical decision-making, reduce the risk of medicine-related harm and strengthen trust across the healthcare system."
A national record would also make it less likely to need repeat tests if information was shared more broadly, said Royal Australian College of General Practitioners president Michael Wright.
“These new systems look promising and will hopefully make it easier for patients to get the care they need," Dr Wright told AAP.
He said the change would ensure there weren’t any gaps in accessing patient records.
"As a GP, I haven’t been aware when my patients have used online-only services, and so that’s really fragmenting care and potentially patients might be prescribed things I wouldn’t prescribe knowing their history or condition."
The government will move to force prescribers to record all medicine information under a national database accessible for patients and their doctors.
It plans to use existing legislation to establish the record, which would focus on private online prescribers.
The changes would mean patients, prescribers and pharmacists would be able to have a complete picture of a patient's medicines history, which would help improve care.
Ms Collins said the reforms gave her peace of mind that other families might not experience the same heartbreak.
"We deeply appreciate minister Butler’s personal and swift responses on hearing Erin’s story and his commitment to strengthening safeguards and clinical governance for telehealth services," Ms Collins said.
The plan is in its early stages, with a consultation period under way to establish how a system accurately and promptly records medicines.
Healthcare providers currently access prescription history through My Health Record, but patients can hide or remove specific documents or choose to not use the system.
