{"id":2129,"title":"Electronic health records: A central basis for (digital) treatment management","link":"https:\/\/www.programm-gesundheit.blog\/en\/electronic-health-records-basis-treatment-management\/","date":"5. May 2017","content":"

The discussion on the introduction of electronic health records (EHRs) in Germany is in full swing. The Bertelsmann Stiftung aims to add impetus to this debate with an expert report by Professor Peter Haas. Of particular importance here is the conceptual idea of the EHR as a basis for comprehensive treatment management platforms. These EHRs will serve both as a common instrument of service providers and patients, as well as a central instrumental foundation \u2013 a hub \u2013 for digital process innovation in the healthcare sector. In introducing these records, this mission should be pursued from the very outset.<\/em><\/p>\n

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When talk turns to the topic of patient records, almost everyone has a story to tell: Laboratory results that patients themselves later have to take from the specialist to the family doctor; lost MRT images; or the incomprehensible physician\u2019s letter pressed into patients\u2019 hands when being discharged. Personal anecdotes aside, it is widely recognized that the faults of German healthcare system lie mainly in the interfaces between the various stakeholders and sectors, and that the system is fragmented and information doesn\u2019t flow as it should. So, what would it be like if every (willing) patient had an electronic health record in which all treatment-relevant information was available at any time \u2013 a record that all authorized treatment providers and the patient could access? And what would it be like if this record also formed the core of a patient\u2019s entire treatment management, and made the patient an active part of the treatment Team?<\/p>\n

The discussion on the national introduction of electronic health records in Germany has (re)gained momentum since the E-Health Act, if not before. In a broad spectrum of projects \u2013 such as in the context of innovation funds or the activities of major hospitals \u2013 overarching record systems are now emerging, with stakeholders pursing, in part, differing goals and strategies. Against this backdrop, last year, we commissioned an expert report on this topic from Professor Peter Haas, a medical information scientist at the Dortmund University of Applied Science and Arts (Fachhochschule Dortmund) and long-standing spokesperson for the Advisory Council for the Society for Telematics Applications (Gesellschaft f\u00fcr Telematik, gematik). We asked him what needs to happen for electronic health records to gain acceptance in Germany, and how this can serve as a tool for greater patient sovereignty.<\/p>\n

This has given rise to an extensive treatise<\/a>, which examines on 288 pages the most diverse aspects of the topic, including the functional requirements, questions of physical distribution of data, the content strategy, questions of data protection and ethics, informational self-determination, as well as specific recommendations relating to the approach to implementation and governance structure. The result <\/a>\u2013 summarized at a high level: The introduction of electronic health records with high social utility requires a long-term strategy, effective governance, and \u2013 with the competitive development of record systems \u2013 the expeditious introduction of a binding framework that patients can rely on.<\/p>\n

Underlying concept: Electronic health records as an instrumental foundation for digital Transformation<\/h4>\n

The basic conceptual idea is of particular importance to us, and we will continue to work on this together with Peter Haas in future. Electronic health records aren\u2019t \u201cjust\u201d an instrument for the cooperation of service providers \u2013 they are the technological lever for active cooperation of patients and treatment providers, and, not least, can effectively support self-management. Moreover, they aren\u2019t \u201conly\u201d an interactive storage and management location for data \u2013 they are the foundation for the comprehensive treatment management of patients. In this scenario \u2013 and this is the overarching concept \u2013 electronic health records form the central instrumental foundation for the digital transformation (of communication) in the healthcare sector – a kind of \u201chub\u201d for digital process innovation.<\/p>\n

In future, a wide array of digital processes could be represented on these treatment management platforms \u2013 whether an original product of a record system, or by means of intelligent interfaces. To name just a few examples, the record could be a platform for:<\/p>\n