EHR summaries roll out in London
A summarized form of EHRs—part of a plan expected to roll out across England over the next year—has gone online in the city of London, the U.K.'s Department of Health (DH) announced yesterday.
The summary care record is a secure electronic summary of core information, such as medications, allergies, adverse reactions and other key health information, including end of life care. Londoners are being informed of the initiative by mail and will be given a choice to opt out of having a summary care record created for them.
The program has gone through trials in a number of regions across England and, according to the DH, has already shown “evidence of improving out-of-hours care, ensuring that doctors have reliable, relevant, up-to-date information at their fingertips in situations where time is critical.” The DH said that with these electronic records clinicians will no longer have to rely on patients for their histories, “which can often be incomplete or inaccurate,” and that elderly and vulnerable patients, as well as those for whom English is a second language, will particularly benefit from the program.
Thus far, 717,105 summary care records have been created from 119 general practices in 10 areas of the country, including the early adopter areas of Bolton, Bury, Bradford, Dorset, South West Essex and South Birmingham. Over 1.6 million patients have been informed about the program, with an average opt-out rate of just 0.8 percent.
The British Medical Association (MBA) released a statement lauding the potential of electronic summary care records to improve the safety and quality of patient care, but added that “it is critical for the program’s success that all patients receive balanced information and are made aware of their option to opt out.”
The BMA charged that evidence from early adopters suggests that efforts to inform patients about summary care records had been “ineffectual” and that medical practices in London “provide appropriate readily accessible information to all patients so they can make an informed choice.”
The summary care record is a secure electronic summary of core information, such as medications, allergies, adverse reactions and other key health information, including end of life care. Londoners are being informed of the initiative by mail and will be given a choice to opt out of having a summary care record created for them.
The program has gone through trials in a number of regions across England and, according to the DH, has already shown “evidence of improving out-of-hours care, ensuring that doctors have reliable, relevant, up-to-date information at their fingertips in situations where time is critical.” The DH said that with these electronic records clinicians will no longer have to rely on patients for their histories, “which can often be incomplete or inaccurate,” and that elderly and vulnerable patients, as well as those for whom English is a second language, will particularly benefit from the program.
Thus far, 717,105 summary care records have been created from 119 general practices in 10 areas of the country, including the early adopter areas of Bolton, Bury, Bradford, Dorset, South West Essex and South Birmingham. Over 1.6 million patients have been informed about the program, with an average opt-out rate of just 0.8 percent.
The British Medical Association (MBA) released a statement lauding the potential of electronic summary care records to improve the safety and quality of patient care, but added that “it is critical for the program’s success that all patients receive balanced information and are made aware of their option to opt out.”
The BMA charged that evidence from early adopters suggests that efforts to inform patients about summary care records had been “ineffectual” and that medical practices in London “provide appropriate readily accessible information to all patients so they can make an informed choice.”