EMIS to pilot GP records access via BlackBerry

GP computer supplier EMIS is to pilot GP access to patient records via a BlackBerry mobile device from next month.

The GP Access system will enable GPs to view any of their patients’ records, initially on a read-only basis, while away from the surgery using a BlackBerry.

The service has been developed with PAERS, a company which has pioneered technology to enable patient access to records, and will be available via Pearl Medical, which already runs a BlackBerry service for GPs.

Sean Riddell, managing director of EMIS, claimed the service was a great example of an integrated service using different IT systems and suppliers.

He added: “GPs are increasingly mobile and it’s vital that they have secure, safe and easy access to their patients’ medical records on the go. GP Access offers them exactly that; we believe it’s a revolutionary development.”

Riddell told EHI Primary Care that the service was likely to cost GP subscribers around £15 a month and said the next two phases of development for GP Access, which is available via any computer with an internet connection, will enable GPs to book appointments and then to add changes to records.

Dr Ralph Sullivan, a GP in the Yorkshire Dales, is among those who hopes to pilot the service from next month.

He told EHI Primary Care: “The best advantage of this system is that you can have access to information about patients on an unplanned basis, for example when you go to a nursing home to visit one patient and then are asked to see somebody else as well.”

Riddell claimed GPs could also be confident that the system was safe and secure.

He said: “The system uses strong authentication, which creates a unique multi-digit number every time they log in. This means they have secure encrypted web access, the strongest level of web authentication there is.”

A recent survey of 500 of Pearl Medical’s GP members revealed that nearly 90% were interested in having read-only access service to patient records.

Dr Brian Fisher, a GP in south London and director of PAERS, said he believed the service would significantly improve safety for patients and make doctors lives a lot easier.

He added: “Having secure access to any of our patients’ full records at any time, in any location, will be a great convenience.”