Mira-Bhayandar: Replicating the idea of digitizing medical history adopted by their counterparts in Mumbai and other parts of the state, the health department attached to the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) has rolled up its sleeves to introduce Electronic Health Records (EHRs) or Electronic Medical Records (EMRs)- which are digital versions of paper records, enabling doctors to instantly retrieve comprehensive medical records, including prescriptions and diagnostic test reports, at the click of a mouse.

The hospital management information system (HMIS) will be implemented at 20 MBMC run medical institutions including- a hospital, 11 public health posts (PHP) and eight urban health and wellness centers (UHWC) also known as Ayushman Arogya Mandirs. Thousands of citizens-especially those from the lower economic strata of the society avail free healthcare facilities at the medical institutions run by the MBMC.

“Process was on to collect information from hospitals which have already adopted the system, following which an elaborate road map will be chalked to replicate a suitable model at our medical institutions as soon as possible.” said a senior municipal officer.

Apart from improving patient care by ensuring accurate data management, reducing errors, improving decision-making, the EHR assigns every registered patient a unique health identification code which allows for better organization, tracking and easy access to patient information, thus eliminating the necessity of carrying multiple paper documents for follow-up visits.

The initiative aligns with steps taken by the central government to standardize and promote the adoption of EHRs, under projects like the National Health Mission (NHM) which is aimed to improve access to healthcare information.

Notably, union health minister-J.P. Nadda in his virtual address to the patient safety conference organized by the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals (NABH) on World Patient Safety Day had urged more hospitals to adopt digital technology to manage healthcare data.

The EHR’s Will Contain:

1) Patient Demographics

2) Contact Information

3) Medical & Family History

4) Medication List & Allergies

5) Immunization Records

6) Diagnostic Test Reports

7) Visit Summaries

8) Prescription List

9) Progress Notes

MBMC Run Medical Facilities

1) 1 Hospital

2) 11 Public Health Posts

3) 8 Urban Health & Wellness Centers (Arogya Mandirs)