US GPs sceptical about patient access to records
A survey of attitudes towards patient-accessible electronic patient records in primary care in the US has revealed that GPs, rather than patients, tend to be more doubtful as to their benefits. The survey, which was undertaken by researchers at the University of Colorado, aimed to ascertain whether attitudes towards computer-based records that could be accessed […]
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Minister launches patient ‘guarantee’ on records
The government has published a series of commitments in the form of a guarantee on how nationally held electronic health records will be used. Health minister Lord Warner said that the new rules will ensure patients keep control over access to their health records in the delayed national database of patient records known as the […]
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Hutton defends premium rate patient calls
Health minister John Hutton has defended the use of premium rate bedside telephones in hospitals, calling them "a vital direct link" to the outside world for patients. In response to a parliamentary question about the use and cost of the service just before the dissolution of parliament at the announcement of the general election, the […]
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Welsh hospital trust looks to merge patient records
Pontypridd & Rhondda NHS Trust has installed a system that allows patient details to be stored on a central server, transferred between departments and synchronised automatically when they change. The MultiVue system from VisionWare, which runs on a Microsoft BizTalk Server, links the pathology, radiology and critical care clinical information systems with the PAS. According […]
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Wheelchair data put on electronic patient record
Ethitec, manufacturers of patient record system Tiara9 and the Equipment Loans Management System (ELMS), has developed a new module that merges the two systems together by holding wheelchair assessments and specifications on the electronic patient record. The data entered on the new module, which as well as model and size statistics can explain why the […]
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MPs told ETP plans may jeopardise patient choice
Pharmacist representatives have told MPs that plans to allow GPs and other prescribers to nominate a patient’s pharmacy for electronic transmission of prescriptions (ETP) will jeopardise patient choice. The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) is lobbying the Department of Health and the National Programme for IT (NPfIT) to change the system so that choice of […]
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City and Hackney shares patient data securely
City and Hackney Teaching PCT in Central London has installed comprehensive security software which, it is hoped, will improve security and confidentiality of transferable patient data. The system, CheckPoint’s VPN-1R Pro, allows the information infrastructure at the PCT to be available to GPs, pharmacists, dentists and optometrists across City and Hackney. According to CheckPoint, the […]
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Fingers point the way forward for patient ID
A group of practices that won an IT innovations award have begun to install a fingerprint identification system that allows patients access to their own records. The Staffa Health Centre, Tibshelf, Derbyshire, became the first of the award-winning practices to install the Patient Electronic Records Systems (PAERS) last week. The system uses touch screen kiosk […]
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Wirral tenders for new patient care system
A trust that pioneered the use of IT in the NHS is tendering for a new patient care information system because its 15-year-old software will not last until a replacement arrives from the National Programme for IT (NPfIT). An OJEU advertisement issued by Wirral Hospitals NHS Trust says that implementation is planned to start in […]
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CRDB conference stokes debate on patient awareness
E-Health Insider reports on the Care Records Development Board’s first conference, in London, which aimed to address the tough questions on patient confidentiality and public knowledge of electronic health records. “I think we have a job on our hands," observed the chair of the National Programme for IT’s Care Records Development Board (CRDB), surveying […]
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