A digital version of a patient's medical record, known as an Electronic Health Record (EHR), contains various health-related information such as medical history, test results, diagnoses, and medications. EHRs have become more prevalent as they offer a secure and efficient way to store, manage, and share patient information among healthcare providers. One of the primary advantages of EHRs is that they provide a centralized repository of patient health information, making it easier for authorized healthcare providers to access the same updated information. This can reduce the risk of medical errors and improve care coordination. The EHR central repository stores all patient health information, along with other healthcare data, in a standardized format, making it easier to search and analyze the data to identify trends and patterns in patient health.
While EHRs have the potential to revolutionize healthcare, there are concerns about the potential for data breaches and unauthorized access to patient health information. To mitigate these risks, EHR central repositories are subject to strict security protocols and regulations. Despite the potential benefits of EHRs, it is essential to consider the risks and benefits of implementing such a system and ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect patient privacy and security.
The creation of a new platform highlights the usefulness of agile analytics in generating knowledge quickly, particularly during a pandemic where timely answers are critical. However, it is also essential to approach these tools with caution and subject them to scientific rigor. The new platform can help collect critical data that can assist in treating patients, but it is important to use it carefully
Our research demonstrates that healthcare systems can rapidly collaborate across borders, languages, and different coding systems. The World Health Organization defines Patient Safety as a discipline that aims to prevent and reduce risks, errors, and harm that occur to patients during the provision of healthcare. While the healthcare system has made commendable progress, there are still challenges that need to be addressed to provide patient safety efficiently. Some of these challenges include long working hours for healthcare professionals resulting in burnout, lack of training for spotting changes in patients' health due to a lack of knowledge on precedents, and extended paperwork and documentation for shifting patients.
To address these challenges and improve patient safety, there is a critical need to create a national repository of patient data hosted on a centralized system. This repository would enable healthcare providers to streamline processes, provide efficient treatment, and address various patient safety concerns. The national repository of patient data will allow hospitals, healthcare units, and doctors to access detailed treatment procedures.
For healthcare professionals, the repository will
The repository will offer benefits to healthcare professionals, patients, and the government. Healthcare professionals will be able to access patient data from across the country to provide better healthcare and save time by minimizing paperwork and documentation when transferring patients between healthcare providers. It will also help healthcare professionals understand changes in a patient's symptoms and prevent medical errors by having access to their medical history. The repository will be beneficial for patients as well, as it will simplify the management of their complete health records, make remote consultations more effective, and reduce the need for repeated lab tests. For the government, the data will provide insights into disease patterns and trends at the grassroots level, help in the creation of better healthcare policies and programs, and facilitate more efficient plans for medical emergencies.
For the government, this data will help in:
This data will assist the government in:
Gaining insight into disease patterns and analyzing trends by accessing data at the grassroots level
Streamlining the creation of better healthcare policies and programs
Developing more effective plans for medical emergencies.
Role of global standards in developing a National Repository of Patient Data
A national centralized patient data repository is a platform where electronic health records (EHRs) can be stored and accessed later. In order to develop such a platform, it is necessary for all healthcare stakeholders to document procedures, clinical trials, etc., in a common language and map them with a unique code. The use of global standards can facilitate this process. Once the data is documented in a common language, it needs to be shared from multiple systems to a centralized repository. To enable this, globally standardized methods are required for disparate systems across hospital chains, states, central bodies, etc., to communicate with each other.
The patient data repository will be useful for programs like the National Digital Health Mission and Arogya Bharat, which aim to bridge the gap among different stakeholders in the healthcare ecosystem through digital highways and provide free access to healthcare for 40% of people in the country, respectively. The centralized data will enable the government to plan policies and programs strategically and steer them in the right direction. Additionally, this data repository can help manage and control situations like COVID-19.
