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The complex healthcare needs of elderly patients highlight the need and importance of sharing their medical information among different healthcare providers (HCPs). Better care coordination can ensure that patients get the right treatment at the right time in a more efficient and effective way.
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Elderly patients are likely to have longer medical histories and
require cross-discipline healthcare. Yet often, elderly patients may
not be able to fully comprehend their medical conditions or recall
what medication they are on, whether they have drug allergies, or
details of their previous operations and diagnostic tests.
In this respect, the Electronic Health Record Sharing System
(eHRSS) will particularly benefit the senior citizens. For elderly who
have joined the eHRSS, these kinds of information could be easily
accessible by their HCPs with their consent. This can greatly
facilitate the latter in forming diagnoses and working out treatment
plans.
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Elderly patients are likely to have longer medical histories and require cross-discipline healthcare |
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| Benefits for Elderly Patients |
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Sharing data on the eHRSS can help enhance the safety and quality of care provided to elderly patients in several ways. The benefits will be delivered specifically by: |
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making available more comprehensive and continuous medical information such as : |
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medications prescribed; |
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allergies recorded; |
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medical investigations or tests taken; and |
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operations undergone; |
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facilitating timely treatment; |
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reducing the frequency and scale of medication errors; |
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providing more efficient and more effective use of diagnostic tests; |
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reducing the need for repeated tests; and |
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improving the accuracy of diagnosis and disease management. |
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Recent eHR Activities for the Elderly |
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| Onsite Installation and Registration Campaign at Elderly Homes |
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| The Electronic Health Record Office (eHR Office) has been running an Onsite Installation and Registration Campaign at Elderly Homes since end-May 2016. Under the campaign, mobile registration teams visit different elderly homes to recruit them as healthcare providers and carry out eHRSS registration for the elderly. As at mid-November, over 80 elderly homes have completed installation and eHRSS registration, and 7,000 citizens have registered with eHRSS during the campaign. |
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| Participating elderly homes appreciate the benefits brought by the eHRSS and welcome the registration campaign. As representative of one of the elderly homes joining the eHRSS shared - |
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| Compliments from Ms S C TANG, The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hong Kong (ELCHK)* |
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The system makes it much easier and more convenient for healthcare professionals to access the patients’ medical records. With all the security measures in place, the eHRSS is also safe to use, which gives both doctors and patients peace of mind.
The elderly no longer have to wait to have their past medical records retrieved from multiple hospitals or clinics - since the doctors can now view their records in the eHRSS at a single platform. It can reduce the chance of treatment delay. |
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| The more comprehensive records and the time saved from obtaining information can definitely help healthcare professionals deliver better care to patients, which is conducive to enhancing the standard of care and patients’ level of satisfaction. |
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| The system is simple and easy to use. The elderly in our centre give consent to us simply by using the smart ID card. With their consent, our healthcare professionals can access their medical records in the eHRSS on the “need-to-know” basis to provide healthcare to them. |
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| The sharable data in the eHRSS is informative and useful for providing holistic care to our patients. |
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| By integrating the patients' data from various healthcare disciplines, the staff at the centre can have a fuller picture as well as better understanding on the elderly's previous health history. This can help the centre staff in planning and providing appropriate care for the elderly. |
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| * ELCHK is one of the elderly homes participating in the onsite installation and registration campaign. |
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| Briefing for Elderly Centres |
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| The eHR Office and the Hospital Authority (HA) representatives visited the Pok Oi Hospital Mrs Wong Tung Yuen District Elderly Community Centre in October to give a briefing on the eHRSS. Through presentation, promotional videos and question and answer sessions, participants were given information about the concepts of the eHRSS, benefits of joining and registration procedures. eHRSS registration forms and booklets were also distributed on site to interested participants. More than 80 residents of the centre and their staff members attended the briefing. |
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Registering with eHRSS
Joining the eHRSS is entirely voluntary and free-of-charge. Registration can be done in person, or by submitting an application form online, by post, fax or via drop-in box.
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Joining the eHRSS is entirely voluntary and free-of-charge |
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For details of the eHRSS and registration methods, please contact the eHR Registration Office at 3467 6300 (email:ehr@ehealth.gov.hk) or visit any eHR registration centres of the HA and the Department of Health. Relevant information can also be found on the eHRSS webpage at
http://www.ehealth.gov.hk/en/you-and-your-family/how-to-register/index.html.
You can also refer to a relevant article on patient registration in the eHealth News Issue No 10 at
http://www.ehealth.gov.hk/en/whats-new/ehealth_news_10/eHRSS_and_you.html. |
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