Nearly 100 Liverpool parents are piloting a digital version of the Redbook health record for children.
The Redbook is a record of a child’s health and development including details of tests and immunisations.
The hope is that children who start life with a digital Redbook, will continue to have a digital health record throughout their lives.
The online version is being developed by Sitekit in partnership with Harlow Printing – who print the current book – and is hosted by Microsoft’s HealthVault.
The prototype is being piloted and evaluated by four NHS partner organisations, including Liverpool Community Health NHS Trust.
The first parent went live with the service in February.
The current pilot is only of the version for parents or guardians to record information, though this can then be shared with health professionals.
It includes records of immunisations, appointment dates and contact details for health professionals.
Also, the ability to upload photos and video to mark a child’s important milestones such as a first step.
Liverpool Community Health eRedbook project manager Jane Banks said the target was to get 300 parents involved in piloting the eRedbook in this quarter.
“At the moment we are trying to get as many parents as possible engaged and starting to complete eRedbooks themselves and getting their feedback.”
An evaluation of the pilot is being done by Glasgow University.
Version two of the digital book will be released next month. This will allow health visitors to log into the application alongside parents and validate and input information.
Version three will be released in December and will involve information from the health visitors’ electronic health records – held in Emis Mobile – being automatically uploaded into a child’s eRedbook.