17.01.13
Paperless NHS must not repeat mistakes of NPfIT
The health secretary’s pledge to see the NHS paperless by 2018 has been largely welcomed by the health sector – but concerns have been raised around standardisation of records and confidence in the system.
Professor John Williams, Royal College of Physicians’ director of Health Informatics Unit (HIU) said: “Whether the NHS is paper-heavy or paper-light we need to standardise the way clinical records are structured. The HIU has led the development of standards for patient records. By embedding these in electronic records we believe that the technology will support the efficient delivery of the highest standards of care.
“Standards for the development of electronic patient records can reduce harm to patients, provide a better patient experience and equity of access to integrated information for the patient.”
Julia Manning, CEO of 2020health and a member of NHE’s editorial board, added that healthcare was lagging behind other industries in terms of electronic access.
She said: “It is vital however that we don’t repeat the mistakes of the National IT programme and try to do too much at once, with people not understanding the benefits or having confidence in the system.
“The focus must be on electronic Personal Health Records (PHR), over which patients have control and which they (or a nominated person) share with professionals. A system which allows professionals to share information without the patient’s knowledge is no longer acceptable. A paperless system will flow from this, but this must be the focus.”
Manning also highlighted culture resistance to greater transparency and said: “This attitude has to change – healthcare is unsustainable if patients aren't empowered with the information to partner in their healthcare.”
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