The implementation of an Electronic Health Records (EHR) system at the May Pen Hospital in Clarendon has been described as a “game-changer” by Consultant Anaesthesiologist Dr Cecily Thompson.   

The medical practitioner reported that since the launch of the Electronic Health Records (EHR) system, at the facility in January this year, service delivery at the hospital  has significantly improved

Thompson, who is also one of the clinical leads on the Configuration Management Team of the EHR System at the hospital, said the “one patient-one record” system has increased efficiency at the facility.

“As a neonate, you get your record in and it’s there; your prenatal history is there throughout, and if you become a patient at May Pen Hospital, we are able to retrieve the files from the system – one record,” she said.

“Specialists can share the patient’s record, up to four people at a time, and appointment scheduling is very easy because we now do it online,” Thompson added.

As a result, doctors no longer a need to give patients pieces of paper to take to other departments.         

“You can scan results into the patient’s electronic file and give them back the paper so they can keep it on their own file,” she said.                                   

While she believes the system will also make a difference to the facility’s storage capacity, as less space will be required for the storage of files, Dr Thompson admitted that the transition has not been without its challenges and that for some users there was a steep learning curve.