Putting Patients’ Needs First
Easy access to better health care for patients and the community – that’s the reason we put so much emphasis on developing and updating our quality information technology.
The computerised information system used by the General Practices in our group is groundbreaking not only New Zealand, but worldwide. We call it NZHealthNet, and even have other general practices, research groups and health care providers wanting to set it up in their area.
What’s so good about NZHealthNet? Lots of things, but the main feature is that it puts the patients’ needs first.
That means, for example, that your private records are stored securely, and regularly copied in a safe place in case of an emergency (e.g. a fire, flood or earthquake). It also means that your doctor or other authorised health care provider can refer to and update your patient records at your private home, rest home accommodation or at an after-hours clinic if they have a mobile connection.
Name and contact details, usual doctor’s name, previous treatments, current medications, allergies, potential adverse effects … it can all be there 24/7.
We are also working on a safe system to allow you, the patient, to ‘carry’ your health records with you if you move to a new area, are referred to a specialist or are admitted to hospital. This would be done using plastic ‘smart cards’ the size of a credit card!
Watch this space!