In an effort to digitise the system of storing medical records of patients within health centres, the department of Health and Family Welfare has decided to use E-hospitals, a software, where the patients’ medical history can be electronically stored using an identification number generated when the patient first consults the doctor.

“It is like a medical recording system where the patients’ medical history will be recorded, so that if the patient wants to consult the doctor more than once, or if the patient needs a change of doctor, this record can be used to identify his/her medical history,” said Prasanna Kumar, IT Consultant, National Health Mission.

The software E-hospital is developed by National Informatics Centre (NIC). The department intends to implement it in a total of 47 government hospitals across the state: 20 district level hospitals, three state level hospitals and 24 taluk level hospitals.

The software is already installed in Sanjay Gandhi Institute of Trauma and Orthopaedics, K C General Hospital and Jayanagar General Hospital in Bengaluru on a pilot basis.

According to doctors, software such as E-hospital helps in storing patients’ medical history, lab reports, medical prescriptions etc. The prescriptions for medicines are also sent to the pharmacy, so that there is no discrepancy in buying the medicines. The doctors can access it on any medical device with the patient identification number.

Speaking about the patient’s access to this system, Kumar said, “At this stage we are not planning for such a facility, but it is there in the pipeline.”

Many private hospitals are also adopting similar softwares for easy access and transfer of patients’ medical records. “It has been four months since I have been using medical recording system. It helps me understand clearly and systematically the medical condition of the patient each time they return,” said Dr Mohan Kubendra, diabetologist from Spandana Health Centre
DH News Service

PRASANNA KUMAR, IT CONSULTANT, NATIONAL HEALTH MISSION: It is like a medical recording system where the patients’ medical history will be recorded, so that if the patient wants to consult the doctor more than once, or if the patient needs a change of doctor, this record can be used to identify his/her medical history.