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During the recent Budget Debate,
Acting Minister for Health, Mr Khaw Boon Wan, highlighted the sharing of
electronic medical records (EMR) as part of MOH's patient-centric approach to
healthcare, and outlined plans to link up the EMR systems of Singapore Health
Services and National Healthcare Group.
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With effect from 1 April 2004, MOH
will be taking the first step toward this link-up, with the sharing of
electronic hospital inpatient discharge summaries.
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Benefits of EMR sharing
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EMRs are essentially electronic
versions of paper-based medical records. Unlike paper-based medical records,
however, digitised versions can be easily shared online across IT-enabled
healthcare institutions. This will contribute significantly to improved
patient care outcomes.
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First, it facilitates higher
patient safety and quality of care. Quick and easy access to the medical
history, and laboratory and other test results of a patient allows more
thorough assessment in less time and with greater holistic accuracy.
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This is especially important in
the Accident & Emergency setting where a patient could be unconscious when
admitted and immediate, accurate access to vital information such as
pre-existing medical conditions, drug allergies and current medications can
significantly aid treatment. It will enable doctors to make more accurate
diagnoses and prescriptions.
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Second, it enables our hospitals
to provide better co-ordinated care, especially when a patient moves across
different hospitals and levels of healthcare delivery. (Today, about
240,000 patients are referred between public healthcare institutions annually,
of which about 24% are inter-cluster. All these patients can potentially
benefit from EMR sharing both within and across cluster.)
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For example, patients with
multiple conditions may need to see several specialists, sometimes in
different hospitals, for treatment. Under a system of paper-based medical
records, the attending physicians may not be able to access the latest
information in a timely fashion, especially if they operate from different
institutions. EMR sharing will address this short-coming and allow the
physicians to better co-ordinate their treatment.
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Third, it will reduce costs for
patients, as ready access to information such as laboratory test and x-ray
results will eliminate unnecessary repeat orders for identical tests by
doctors in different institutions.
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The EMR Exchange (EMRX)
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From 1 April 2004, MOH will
rollout the EMR Exchange (EMRX) to enable hospitals and polyclinics from both
public healthcare clusters to electronically share information vital for
better patient care.
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For a start, both clusters will
share Hospital Inpatient Discharge Summaries (HIDS), which contain information
of a patient's recent hospitalisation episode(s) including his drug allergies
where applicable, diagnoses, medication prescribed and response to treatment.
The list of information items to be shared will be gradually expanded to
include laboratory test results and radiology reports, Outpatient Discharge
Summaries and Polyclinic Discharge Summaries.
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To protect the confidentiality of
the information being shared and ensure that it is used in a responsible and
appropriate manner for the sole purpose of treating their patients, strict
access and audit controls are in place to deter and detect any unauthorised
access to the data.
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Only doctors and healthcare staff
who treat the patient will have access to the shared records. They are bound
by law and professional codes of conduct to respect and protect patient
confidentiality.
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Source: Ministry of Health Press
Release 30 Mar 2004
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Sharing of electronic hospital inpatient discharge summaries
