Health boards aim at better care through centralising data

A new IT project aims to improve the diagnosis and treatment of diabetic and cardiovascular patients in the Auckland region.

Waitemata District Health Board chief information officer Phil Brimacombe said the project would centralise fragmented patient information.

"The problem now is some information is on paper, some of it is on isolated databases ... some of it they don't perhaps know is available."

Specialists will be able to use a desktop computer to obtain data such as laboratory results, angiograms, patient history notes and referrals from GPs.

Waitemata specialist Simon Young said the development of a diabetes database marked a step forward in patient care.

"Diabetes care is a broad medical discipline that relies heavily on the interpretation of multiple pieces of laboratory and clinical data.

"I believe this system will significantly improve the efficiency of our clinical work. We'll have fast access to the information we need to treat our patients," Young said.

Information will also be available electronically for GPs when patients return to primary healthcare.

"So the right and relevant information is able to follow the patient around the health system instead of the somewhat fragmented approach we have now," Brimacombe said.

The system would produce an ongoing "longitudinal record".

"It's not just a one-off like you break your leg, you go into hospital and you're done. These diseases are chronic diseases that go on for long periods of time."

The project has a budget of $490,000, which Brimacombe described as "modest" for such an IT scheme.

Privacy has been a key consideration. An impact assessment was undertaken to clearly specify the purpose of the information and ensure compliance with the Health Information Privacy Code.

The system will be built using Orion's soprano workflow tools and managed by Health Alliance, the shared services organisation owned jointly by the Waitemata and Counties-Manukau health boards.

Implementation at Waitemata is expected by October, with Counties-Manukau and Auckland City expected to follow shortly afterwards.

"This is the first stage of a journey that will be going on for some considerable time," Brimacombe said.

The Waitemata board, New Zealand's largest secondary healthcare provider, serves nearly 450,000 people in the North Shore, Waitakere City and Rodney districts.