The Commission on Health and Social Services has presented a project for the Electronic Health Record – which the Ministry of Health is attempting to implement in all the Spanish communities – to include the pharmaco-treatment history of each patient to record the medications they consume.
The measure will not just apply to products who are subject to medical prescriptions but also those bought directly by patients.
The proposal arises from the report “Study on the application of new technologies to healthcare administration: present and future”, approved by the High Chamber.
“It is very important for citizens to be able to take their health record with them in an electronic format when they move so that any doctor in the world can access the data to the patient’s benefit,” said the spokesman for the Partido Popular, Jesús Aguirre.
The objective is for healthcare professionals to have as much information as possible to support their decision making and avoid poisoning by medications.
The Senate also requested that the health record be included in a “Citizen’s Folder”, which would contain socio-sanitary, telemedicine, certification information and information about administrative status, among other relevant data.
According to Aguirre’s estimate, the definitive development of the project could occur within the next ten years. “There is a lot of momentum behind the project, because we are aware that it is an opportunity for efficiency in the healthcare system that will reduce costs,” he said.
The senator from the Grupo Socialista María Victoria Chivite was pleased that each group agreed upon approving the report. “It shows that there is clear support for new technologies in the healthcare sphere, as they can provide efficiency and efficacy and improve the quality of life for all citizens,” she said.
Mónica Almiñana, from the Entesa Catalana, said: “This measure will trace out the path that must be followed in the future with regard to the definitive implementation of new technologies.”
Source: Europa Press
