The HSE has issued a preliminary market consultation in respect of its planned national electronic healthcare record (EHR), the Medical Independent has learned.
The consultation will seek information from suppliers that may be able to provide EHR-related services.
According to the HSE, a national EHR will allow healthcare staff to access a patient’s full medical history to support “timely and appropriate care, with the ability to update information in real time”.
A contract tender notice for the supply of EHR services will be issued during the summer, the HSE stated. A contract award will be made by the end of 2026.
The implementation process will occur on a phased and regional basis and take eight years to complete, according to HSE timelines. The system is due to be fully embedded by 2032.
In documents supplied to providers, the HSE outlined the existing information and communications technology landscape within the organisation and the challenges this poses for EHR implementation.
“The health service is constrained by inconsistent, paper-based, and siloed digital documentation of patient interactions,” the HSE said.
“The current ecosystem has resulted in a fragmented experience where the level of ICT enablement of services ranges from minimal to highly developed. Staff often rely on post, email, and phone calls to transfer information between services. This is not only time consuming and error prone, but takes time away from clinical staff to deliver care,” according to the HSE.
In community services, most frontline clinical and non-clinical staff rely on manual, paper-based processes or basic Microsoft Office tools for documenting patient information. Where electronic solutions exist, they often arise from local initiatives, “neglecting broader system requirements for comprehensive community care.”
Digitalisation in acute services is more advanced. However, both community and acute services have adopted numerous regional and local ICT systems in isolation, leading to fragmented silos that impede seamless information-sharing between caregivers and organisations. This undermines the delivery of integrated, person-centred care.
The EHR will help to overcome these challenges and improve the patient experience, according to the HSE. It will also ensure the HSE and Government meet their obligations under new European Health Data Space regulations.
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