The National Health Council (CNS), a government advisory body, believes that the electronic health record, which already exists, has “great potential” to allow the creation of a computer system that allows clinical information to accompany every person, whatever the health sector in which he works. Uses. But he warns that “there is still a long way to go to reach the desired vision, whether from the point of view of the user or health workers.” He leaves several recommendations for improvement in this area.
According to Losa, Secretary of State for Health Ana Bovo, who participated in the opening of the Sixth Forum on the Central Nervous System,He promised that the electronic health record (RES) would be ready at the end of next year, noting that it is one of the goals of the government program.
In the a report Towards a better health information system to serve people, which was submitted on Monday and which will be under public consultation until August 3, states that the information system “is one of the fundamental pillars” of the health system. It can be a ‘lever’ for the integration and continuity of care, as well as contributing to the sustainability of the NHS and health system. For that body, which highlights that the European health data space “is already becoming a reality” and that it represents an opportunity to enhance the interoperability of different existing health data systems, “data and information must flow securely within the same organization.” And between different levels and types of care and different organizations, allowing the user and authorized health professionals to know, monitor, manage and reproduce their health journey.
However, the national starting point is still far from ideal, as suggested by the experts who prepared the document. In an analysis of existing digital tools, CNS indicates that User portal SNS24, which is part of the Electronic Health Record (RSE) platform, “has great potential taking into account the list of available electronic services and the possibilities for user interaction with the system.” However, this information does not reach users and professionals in various health sectors easily and the services provided are still limited.
“The portal has a strong and secure authentication system and the user has the possibility to manage access to his personal information and even consult who has accessed it and in what context,” says the Central Agency for Security, which states that RSE “may constitute the starting point and basis for an intelligent, integrated and summarized personal clinical process.” In the future.
“However, there is still a long way to go to reach the desired vision both from the point of view of the user and health professionals, in its great disciplinary diversity and in the requirements of interdisciplinary work focused on the needs and goals of care plans for each person,” he warns.
More than a dozen recommendations
Over more than 70 pages, the CNS provides a framework for the primary and secondary use of health data and states that Portugal will have to implement, by 2026, a European Parliament Regulation on the European Health Data Space in line with this initiative. The CNS proposes “creating a digital health authority that will also be responsible for ensuring people’s rights.”
He leaves a list of 12 recommendations, noting that despite the progress health information systems have seen in recent years, significant challenges remain such as lack of interoperability of systems, slowness, and scarcity of clinical decision support tools. At the top of the list of recommendations is involving users in developing the health information system. The CNS suggests a standing committee of users and the introduction of a service provider for the person with the disease.
It also proposes, among other measures, the implementation of a national health data and information strategy, which gives “highest priority” to the implementation and development of a personalized electronic clinical process based on a single RSE, as well as the activation of the personal plan/individual care, “still lagging behind”. The CNS emphasizes that this instrument aims to facilitate communication and cooperation between health professionals and will allow every person with or without the disease to interact with health professionals.
