According to Lao Dong, at the Central Ophthalmic Hospital (Hanoi), all paper records have been replaced with electronic records. Up to 500 - 600 patients come for examination and treatment every day, the application of electronic medical records helps hospitals manage data centrally, reduces administrative procedures, and facilitates medical staff in looking up information.
Mr. Ta Dang Duc from Lao Cai went to the Central Ophthalmic Hospital for examination and treatment of middle ear inflammation. Mr. Duc shared: I find the implementation of electronic medical records very convenient because medical information is stored throughout, doctors can easily monitor, avoid errors and reduce many paperwork procedures for patients. The procedure only takes about 10 minutes to complete".
According to Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Tuan Canh - Director of the Central ENT Hospital: The implementation of electronic medical records is an inevitable trend, in line with the national digital transformation orientation and building a smart healthcare industry. This solution brings practical benefits to patients, the medical team and society, contributing to improving the quality of medical examination and treatment, saving time and costs, while enhancing transparency and safety of medical information".
The hospital has invested in upgrading information technology infrastructure, data storage systems, hospital management software (HIS, LIS, PACS) to meet HL7 CDA, digital signature, electronic authentication standards and ensure information security. The medical records according to Circular 32/2023/TT-BYT have been digitized, aiming to completely eliminate paper medical records.
With EMR system, all patient information such as treatment history, test results, imaging diagnosis, prescriptions are stored centrally, easily searched and confidential according to regulations. This is considered an important step forward in the digital transformation roadmap, towards a smart - modern hospital model, improving the quality of medical services and health care for people.
As of September 30, the Hanoi Health Sector has completed the milestone of 42/42 public hospitals successfully implementing electronic medical records according to the Government's roadmap.
Mr. Nguyen Ba Hung - Head of the Department of Medical Digital Transformation Services, National Center for Medical Information - said that the Ministry of Health has coordinated with the Ministry of Public Security to integrate people's health information on the VNeID application - Electronic Health Book.
To date, 34/34 provinces and cities have applied. However, the connection of electronic medical records between hospitals has only stopped at the standard data synthesis level. Some pilot units are connected to the Medical Data Coordination System, but to manage a national electronic medical record data warehouse, more time and resources are needed.
Mr. Hung recommended that hospitals should take advantage of cloud computing infrastructure to reduce initial investment costs and hire security services from reputable units if they lack specialized human resources. At the same time, it is necessary to train an IT team with an understanding of the medical examination and treatment process to effectively coordinate with software providers, ensuring a stable operating system.
However, the implementation of electronic medical records still faces difficulties and problems. For non-public hospitals, implementation is still slow, the implementation rate is still low; the issue of technology infrastructure, investment costs, and training of human resources in information technology is also a big challenge. To date, 27/48 (56.2%) of non-public hospitals have deployed electronic medical records.
Digital transformation in healthcare is not only an inevitable trend but also an urgent requirement of modern society. The completion of the implementation of electronic medical records at 100% of public hospitals is an important milestone, but it is only the beginning in the journey of digitalizing healthcare.
In the coming time, the Hanoi health sector aims to continue expanding the application of digital technology, aiming to manage the health of all people on a digital platform.
