E-health records: A way for better health outcomes
Health Policy 2011 emphasised to establish a computer based "Integrated Management Information System" which helps to implement health programme, introduce strategy plan and monitor the health system of Bangladesh. This means it indicates to establish the E-health in the country.
E-health is a system which provides healthcare service through various types of communications technologies, namely mobile (m-Health), telemedicine, the Internet, clinical decision support and most importantly E-health records.
Accordingly, the Government of Bangladesh has established a Management Information System (MIS) department under the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) and initiated various activities for the development of Health Information Systems (HIS) and making of E-health records of patients in Bangladesh.
However, HIS is highly fragmented. This means data generated by public and private sector is not linked and handled separately which may endanger the life of patients.
Although E-health records enable doctors and health providers to provide quality service to the patients based on previous records, progress rate in public hospitals is not satisfactory. In addition, there is no direction and rules from the government regarding E-health records to the private health practitioners how to accumulate health records for patients.
The E-health records can be an important tool for a reliable, secure and trustworthy health outcome for patient. It can facilitate to deliver efficient and effective treatment of patients by health providers which improve the quality of care. For example, most of the times, patients forget their health history such as medicines, dates of recent test records with different and last appointment date with doctor and so on.
Besides, people may instantly get sick or get sick while travelling. It is universal truth that people do not bear medical record with them. In these circumstances, it is sometimes difficult for doctors and health providers to provide right treatment immediately without observing previous health history. Hence, if E-health records are available, health practitioners can connect with E-health records and can see health information of patient which helps to provide best possible care in a quickest way.
As E-health records provide a single source for authentication and remote access of health data for patients, the government can adopt a law for regulation of E-health records. Under this law, the government can introduce the system separately by creating a website where every citizen can open an account which links with national identification card for security reason. The other unique characteristic of the system is that citizens can control health record themselves that is important for patient's privacy as enunciated in Bangladesh constitution. They will have absolute power to allow or restrict the doctors and health providers in terms of access of their health record.
If anybody allows to share their health record with doctors and health providers, the doctors and health provider will be able to access health record when providing treatment to patient. This means the health record can be shared with the health practitioners and providers only for improvement of health outcome with the consent of patient.
As the present government is committed to establish a "Digital Bangladesh by 2021", it is high time to introduce E-health records for digitalisation of health systems which ensures the safety of patient as well as increases the quality of health service in Bangladesh.
The author is a PhD Student at Macquarie University, Australia. E-mail: [email protected]
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