The Patient Portal, supported by Microsoft, is to be trialled in two GP practices – the Townhead Surgery in Irvine and the Kilwinning Medical Practice – over the next six months.
Enabling patients to take more control of their health by accessing and updating their records from anywhere with internet connection, the portal will give them the ability to undertake a number of tasks including:
- Requesting appointments online
- Requesting repeat prescriptions
- Accessing test results
- Recording, tracking and monitoring their blood pressure
- Setting targets for weight and other health goals
- Recording and tracking blood sugar levels
Announcing the initiative, Scottish Health Secretary, Nicola Sturgeon, said: “The new Patient Portal will make life a great deal easier for patients, as well as supporting the delivery of the highest-possible quality of primary care.
“One of our most-important priorities is to make patients partners in their own care and this is exactly what the Patient Portal does. This is, of course, a pilot project, but NHS Ayrshire and Arran’s efforts may pave the way for the rest of Scotland.
“We want to use technology wherever we can to make our healthcare more efficient and more secure – what is known as eHealth. By building on the systems we already have, we can make the best use of taxpayers’ money.”
GP Dr Jim Campbell of the Townhead Surgery is eHealth clinical lead for the health board. He said: “The development of this online portal has given us a wonderful opportunity to work closely with groups of patients to identify how they can take more control of their health.
“The system is secure and confidential and we are convinced that following this pilot our patients will welcome the option to order repeat prescriptions, set targets, track their blood sugar levels and monitor their blood pressure.
“We are very grateful to these patients and to all the technical staff, both in NHS Ayrshire and Arran and at Microsoft, which has contributed to this pilot.”
The portal builds on the success of a much smaller electronic access project run by the Townhead Surgery since 2002, which has seen more than 26,000 repeat prescriptions ordered by patients an, in just the first three months this year, almost 1,500 patient log-ons.
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Quelle/Source: Healthcare Equipment and Supplies, 14.04.2010
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