Authors (including presenting author) :
Lau CSM, Lau YK, Ho SW, Ng SKY, To PKT, Wong ACK, Chan HKC, Tong ELH, Wong WN, Cheung NT
Affiliation :
Health Informatics Department, Information Technology and Health Informatics Division, Head Office, Hospital Authority
Introduction :
Hong Kong (HK) Government’s Colorectal Cancer Screening Programme (the Programme) subsidizes asymptomatic HK residents aged between 50 and 75 to receive colorectal cancer screening service in private sector. The screening flow needs call for a range of care from different parties, including Primary Care Doctors who issue Faecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT) tubes, Colonoscopy Specialists who provide colonoscopy examination, laboratories which analyze stool specimen of FOBT and polyps removing from colonoscopy, and the Programme Office which monitors the Programme. Accurate sharing of clinical record and efficient communication between different Programme parties are essential for smooth delivery of desired healthcare services.
Objectives :
Territory-wide Electronic Healthcare Record Sharing System (eHRSS) enables both public and private healthcare providers to share electronic health records (eHRs) of patients, which is developed by Hospital Authority (HA). How could desired healthcare services of the Programme be facilitated by eHRSS?
Methodology :
A dedicated Information Technology (IT) System which rides on eHRSS supporting end to end Programme operation and management. Programme clinical documentation are captured and tracked by the IT System for access by healthcare providers of the Programme and HA in eHRSS.
Result & Outcome :
Since September 2016, over 260,000 HK eligible residents had joined the Programme. Colorectal cancer was identified in about 1,700 Programme participants for timely disease management.
eHRSS has following indispensable roles to play in the Programme:
1.The Programme leverages on the well-established records sharing platform in eHRSS, resulting in smooth and efficient sharing of the Programme’s statuses and outcomes between Programme parties and HA while “need-to-know” access control of Programme records is regulated. More importantly, timely notification of laboratory result is enabled through e-referral.
2.eHRSS maintains comprehensive eHRs for HK residents, which supports bidirectional communication between Programme’s Doctors and HA.
3.The dedicated IT System provides regular action checklist to assist and remind Programme’s Doctors to follow up clinical care of Programme participants. The System also supports Programme administrative issues, e.g. processing payment and Programme monitoring.
eHRSS enables all critical Programme steps and clinical care are closely communicated and linked up. Importance of eHRSS will continue to increase with implementation of more public-private partnerships initiatives which would not have worked well without eHR sharing.
