'People should have digital access to their medical records'

HSE chief clinical information officer Richard Greene works at Cork University Maternity Hospital, which is one of the very few hospitals using digital records so far.

“If we can give people access to information in their hand, on their computer at home, we immediately allow them to get comprehensive service information,” said Prof Greene.

We are going to move to patient-centred care. This is a phrase that is abused, in my view. We talk about it but, actually, the last person we are thinking about, at that point in time, is the patient.

“We really have to change. It has to become a philosophy not just the words we use.” 

This will mean real sharing of data, he said.

“The information is not just belonging to the doctors and nurses and other healthcare professionals anymore.” 

Patients will be able to raise concerns if they see errors, he said, or book appointments on the phone, similar to other everyday services.

Ossian Smyth, minister of state with responsibility for public procurement, eGovernment, and the circular economy, also spoke at the Better Together for Digital Healthcare national conference.

“I am looking forward to seeing virtual wards next year," said Mr Smyth.

I love the idea that I can be at home, feeling ill, but being looked after from the hospital, eating the food that I want, in my own room, and sending back the information on how I am.” 

He described his personal experience of being in hospital for a health issue and being told he had an aneurysm previously of which he was unaware.

“We have many different IT systems in our hospitals and our GP services, and they are very rarely designed with any idea of delivering any of that data to the patient.

“I suppose it comes from a long tradition, a paternalistic culture in Ireland not just in healthcare, but generally a view that we have authorities to look after the citizen and the citizen can stand back and have things done to them.” 

HSE national chief nursing and midwifery information officer Loretto Grogan told the conference that the pandemic accelerated many digital changes, which otherwise could “have taken years”.

“The potential benefits of telehealth are clear,” she said. “For example, remote video and telephone consultations can reduce travel time, costs, emissions, and time away from work, school, families, and communities.” 

Devices that patients can wear to monitor heart rate or other issues could help to discharge patients from the hospital without delays. She said this would enable remote monitoring by hospital teams. These could also reduce hospital admissions, she said.