The Ministry of Health and Wellness in collaboration with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Information Systems for Health (IS4H) is undertaking a very stringent approach to the implementation of an EHR System in 13 healthcare facilities across the country.
The main goal of this initiative is to improve patient care efficiency by reducing paper-based records, and streamlining workflows which will ultimately achieve the goal of “one patient, one record”.
The additional benefits of implementing the Systems includes but are not limited to: –
- Facilitate equitable and flexible tracking, reporting, auditing, and effective research.
- Empowering clients to take control of their health and make informed decisions.
- Reduce public health burden and waiting time at health facilities.
- An effective platform for monitoring patients across health facilities.
The software implemented for the EHR is called SystmOne and will be implemented in Jamaica by the United Kingdom firm, The Phoenix Partnership (TPP). TPP was founded in 1997 with the aim of improving efficiency and standards in the UK healthcare system. SystmOne is a comprehensive EHR solution applicable to primary care facilities, hospitals, mental health, and social care. The solution supports comprehensive reporting and analysis and has mobile apps for physicians and patients respectively.
Major EHR Implementation Phases
Currently one hospital was selected as a pilot for the implementation. There are multiple activities within this phase which has different personnel assigned various tasks or positions to lead.
1st Phase – Project team Training – organization project teams are trained. Learning Management System (LMS) access also provided.
2nd Phase – Process Workshops & System Configuration – includes the set-up preferences, enter relevant facility data, set up integrations and up reports.
3rd Phase – Testing – User acceptance testing, Integration testing and report testing.
4th Phase – User Training – Prepare training materials, end user training.
5th Phase – Live Localization – Set up all configurations on Live.
6th Phase – Go Live – Go Live support, Knowledge transfer.
The IS4H/EHR team strongly recommends that the pilot facilities and their relevant Regional Health Authorities allocate resources for a ‘facility EHR project/support team’ at a hospital level and at a primary care level for the health centres. This team is necessary for efficient implementation and for the functional sustainability and resilience of the facility, post-immediate Go Live.
The Health Systems Strengthening Programme has also implemented an EHR policy that is seeking to support the rollout of a well-designed patient-centered digital health record system with tools that can record, store, and analyse patient data while supporting improved quality and continuity of care. The system will be interoperable to allow for the exchange of data across the entire health sector, creating access to population-wide information.
Author:
Veronica Miller-Richards BSc. HA/HIM, ASc HIT
Regional Health Records Administrator
Southern Regional Health Authority
The Health Systems Strengthening Programme in practice
The Health Systems Strengthening Programme in practice