Tiny steps towards patient electronic health record system in India

New Delhi: A scheme to set up an ‘Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP) to create the Electronic Health Records (EHRs) of citizens and to be made available nationwide online for medical history, with the help of health information exchange(s), has been approved and is being implemented.

As per the Minister of State (Health and Family Welfare), Mrs Anupriya Patel who stated this in the Parliament recently, her ministry has notified EHR Standards Version 2016 for India in December 2016 (whilst the earlier version of EHR Standards was notified in September 2013) with the intent to bring standardization and homogeneity, inter-operability in the capture, storage, transmission, use etc. of healthcare information across various health IT systems.

State/UTs have been advised and are already working on computerisation and implementation of hospital information system for creating electronic records in their hospitals/health facility with support under National Health Mission.

With the advent of the envisaged system of EHRs of citizens in an interoperable manner pan-nation, online availability and accessibility would be ensured facilitating continuity of care, better affordability, better health outcome and better decision support system. This is expected to help in reducing expenditure on avoidable repetitive and similar diagnostic tests.