Health professionals lack access to electronic medical records, exposing patients to repeated tests and delays, a watchdog claims.

Patients are having repeated tests and delays in care because health staff do not have access to electronic medical records, a new report released today warns.

Also, patients need to have access to their electronic records, the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) report said.

The health watchdog wants urgent action to deliver on the right technology, regulations and oversight to allow easy access to health and social care information.

Due to health personnel' lack of access to electronic medical records, patients must undergo more testing and wait longer. The inability of health and social care workers to quickly obtain patient health information can result in additional testing and delays in care.

Health information systems, policies, and strategies are currently underdeveloped in Ireland, according to Rachel Flynn, head of health information and standards at Hiqa.

"The inability of health and social care workers to quickly obtain patient health information can result in additional testing and delays in care.

"The collecting, utilisation, and sharing of health information across the health and social care services in Ireland requires the development of a shared infrastructure and consistent methodology, a watchdog cautions.

Urgent action is needed now to progress our health information system

We've been informed by the Irish people that they want access to their health information. There is no system in Ireland that allows people to view their electronic records. By 2030, the European Parliament has established a goal for all EU citizens to have access to their electronic records.

"Aligning Ireland's infrastructure with that of other European nations will raise the standard of health information, lower costs, enable patients to take a more active role in their own care, and guarantee more effective and coordinated treatment. 

To advance our health information system in accordance with the four major policy areas of effective engagement, statutory framework, governance structures, and technological and operational requirements, immediate action is required. To foster a contemporary, future-focused, and data-rich environment for health and social care in Ireland, advancement is required in all four areas. These four areas are interrelated, so if one is not addressed, it could hinder or stall progress in the others.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has received the report.

"We applaud the development of the new general scheme of a Health Information Bill, which seeks to guarantee that Ireland has a national health information system that is fit for purpose, and hope that it will reflect these policy concerns," Ms. Flynn said. To advance this, we anticipate partnering with the Department of Health.

It cited a number of legislative and policy changes related to health information at the European level as evidence that Ireland needs to make major strides in this area.

One of these is the EU Data Governance Act, which is concerned with the reuse of data that is protected by the public sector, particularly health data.

In order to facilitate data sharing between nations, it will assist the creation and growth of common European data spaces. It will also build reliable mechanisms for data reuse across the EU.

The European Parliament and EU Council have proposed setting a goal that by 2030, 100 percent of EU people would have access to their electronic records.

The EU Data Act would establish guidelines for who can access what data and use it for what reasons across all EU sectors in order to promote data exchange.

A proposed regulation will provide a legal foundation for a European Health Data Space (EHDS), which will aim to strengthen and extend the use and re-use of health data for the purposes of research and innovation in the healthcare sector; to help healthcare authorities to make evidence-based decisions; and to improve the accessibility, effectiveness and sustainability of healthcare systems.

In 2020 and 2021, Hiqa, the Department of Health and HSE carried out a National Public Engagement on Health Information study which consulted over 1,300 people on the collection, use and sharing of health information.

The resulting report found that 97pc believe it is important for healthcare professionals to have access to their information when treating them. And 86pc said they would like to have access to their own digital records via a national patient portal.