‘Electronic QEH medical records by November 2017

By November 2017 the Queen Elizabeth Hospital will be saying goodbye to a system of paper-based files, replacing them with electronic medical records for its patients.

QEH CEO Dr. Dexter James acknowledged the above as he accepted a donation of three new HP laptop computers and accompanying mobile laptop stands, valued in excess of US $1 500, from the Barbados Association of Tampa Bay (BAOTB), based in Florida in the USA.

President of the BAOTB, Henderson Griffith, accompanied by BAOTB Ambassador and Honorary Member, Stedson “Red Plastic Bag” Wiltshire, made the presentation of the “computers on wheels” to Dr. James and other QEH officials in the hospital’s boardroom yesterday.

“When the National Health Management Information System is fully implemented, the hospital will have in place Electronic Medical Records (EMT). As you know, we are all for patients’ records to be located in one place, under a unique identifier. We have only recently signed a contract with a provider to do what is called backfile conversion. This process enables the conversion of paper-based records to electronic records. Once this project is implemented, it means patient records will be available online, in real time and available 24/7,” Dr. James commented.

“We anticipate that the pilot will be rolled out somewhere between now and the next couple of weeks. But we anticipate that the full EMR will become a reality at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, certainly by the end of November,” the QEH’s CEO revealed.

This will transform the hospital and the public health care system by extension James said, noting that the challenges surrounding “missing notes” which the QEH at times has had to grapple with, will no longer be an issue. (RSM)