Methods Inf Med 2011; 50(04): 386-391
DOI: 10.3414/ME11-02-0002
Special Topic – Original Articles
Schattauer GmbH

Survey on Medical Records and EHR in Asia-Pacific Region

Languages, Purposes, IDs and Regulations
M. Kimura
1   Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Medical Informatics Department, Hamamatsu, Japan
,
P. Croll
2   Health Informatics Society of Australia, Australia
,
B. Li
3   China Medical Informatics Association, China
,
C. P. Wong
4   Hong Kong Society of Medical Informatics, Hong Kong
,
S. Gogia
5   Society for Administration of Telemedicine and Healthcare, New Delhi, India
,
A. Faud
6   Universitas Gadjah, Faculty of Medicine, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
,
Y.-S. Kwak
7   Samsung Seoul Hospital, Medical Informatics Department, Seoul, South Korea
,
S. Chu
8   Health Informatics New Zealand, Auckland, New Zealand
,
A. Marcelo
9   Philippine Medical Informatics Society, Manila, Philippines
,
Y.-H. Chow
10   Association for Medical and Bio-Informatics Singapore, Singapore
,
W. Paoin
11   Thammasat University, Faculty of Medicine, Pathumthani, Thailand
,
Y.-C. J. Li
12   Taipei Medical University, Taipeh, Taiwan
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

received: 12 January 2011

accepted: 03 April 2011

Publication Date:
18 January 2018 (online)

Summary

Objectives: To clarify health record background information in the Asia-Pacific region, for planning and evaluation of medical information systems.

Methods: The survey was carried out in the summer of 2009. Of the 14 APAMI (Asia-Pacific Association for Medical Informatics) delegates 12 responded which were Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Taiwan.

Results: English is used for records and education in Australia, Hong Kong, India, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore and Taiwan. Most of the countries/regions are British Commonwealth. Nine out of 12 delegates responded that the second purpose of medical records was for the billing of medical services. Seven out of nine responders to this question answered that the second purpose of EHR (Electronic Health Records) was healthcare cost cutting. In Singapore, a versatile resident ID is used which can be applied to a variety of uses. Seven other regions have resident IDs which are used for a varying range of purposes. Regarding healthcare ID, resident ID is simply used as healthcare ID in Hong Kong, Singapore and Thailand. In most cases, disclosure of medical data with patient’s name identified is allowed only for the purpose of disease control within a legal framework and for disclosure to the patient and referred doctors. Secondary use of medical information with the patient’s identification anonymized is usually allowed in particular cases for specific purposes.

Conclusion: This survey on the health record background information has yielded the above mentioned results. This information contributes to the planning and evaluation of medical information systems in the Asia-Pacific region.

 
  • References

  • 1 eHealth Record Office (Internet). Hong Kong, The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (cited Jan 6, 2011 ). Available from http://www.ehealth.gov.hk/en/index1.html
  • 2 Cho I, Kim J, Kim JH, Kim HY, Kim Y. Design and implementation of a standards-based interoperable clinical decision support architecture in the context of the Korean EHR. Int J Med Inform 2010; 79 (09) 611-622.
  • 3 Jian WS, Hsu CY, Hao TH, Wen HC, Hsu MH, Lee YL, Li YC, Chang P. Building a portable data and information interoperability infrastructure framework for a standard Taiwan Electronic Medical Record Template. Comput Meth Prog Bio 2007; 88 (02) 102-111.
  • 4 Hirai A, Furugaki N, Abe H, Imamura S, Yoshikawa Y, Matsuoka K. A new health care network system for IT (Information Technology)-based disease management of diabetes mellitus: Japanese regional EHR (electric health record). Endocr J 2010; 57 (02) S390 – S391.
  • 5 Hoerbst A, Ammenwerth E. Electronic health records A systematic review on quality requirements. Methods Inf Med 2010; 49 (04) 320-336.
  • 6 Garrett PW, Forero R, Dickson HG, Whelan AK. How are language barriers bridged in acute hospital care? The tale of two methods of data collection. Aust Health Rev 2008; 32 (04) 755-765.
  • 7 Rector AL, Solomon WD, Nowlan WA, Rush TW, Zanstra PE, Claassen WMA. A Terminology Server for Medical Language and Medical Information Systems. Method Inform Med 1995; 34 1–2 147-157.
  • 8 Royal College of Physicians.. Generic medical record-keeping standards. London: RCP Books; 2007. ISBN: 9781860163159.
  • 9 Heimly V, Berntsen KE. Consent-based Access to Core EHR Information Collaborative Approaches in Norway. Methods Inf Med 2009; 48 (02) 144-148.
  • 10 Blobel B, Pharow P. Analysis and Evaluation of EHR Approaches. Methods Inf Med 2009; 48 (02) 162-169.
  • 11 Lehmann CU, Altuwaijri MM, Li YC, Ball MJ, Haux R. Translational research in medical informatics or from theory to practice. Methods Inf Med 2008; 47 (01) 1-3.