Pilot project "myEPD" opened in Northwestern Switzerland
On 15 August 2018, the University Hospital Basel (USB) presented the first personal "myEPD" in German-speaking Switzerland at a media conference. The aim is to encourage patients to open their Electronic Patient Dossier (EPD) by spring 2020.
The pilot project in Northwestern Switzerland is the first comprehensive implementation of a patient dossier that is oriented towards the national requirements. Certification as a "parent community" under the national EPD is planned by the legally binding deadline in spring 2020. By the end of 2019, other healthcare facilities will also join forces as providers of the EPD. eHealth Switzerland is the initiator and responsible for the establishment of the official "parent communities". In the pilot project, the canton of Basel-Stadt is the data owner and contractual partner of all participants. This makes myEPD the first legally compliant EPD to be opened in Switzerland. According to www.patientendossier.ch, other regions are also examining the technical and organisational development of the electronic patient dossier.
A practical test for the patient dossier
For the second time, IT professionals in Bern tested their systems in relation to the EPD in mid-September 2018. Compared to the first Projectathon in 2017, almost five times more use cases were tested: A total of 792 tests were assessed as passed by the supporting specialists - the "monitors" (2017: 159 verified tests).
The focus of the tests is on all the IHE profiles required for the EPD, but in particular the Swiss-specific IHE profiles, by which is meant the healthcare instruments to be integrated. IHE is an initiative of users and manufacturers with the aim of standardising the exchange of data between IT systems in the healthcare sector.
The implementation of medical process flows between the systems and the creation of interoperability are at the forefront here. Information on upcoming events will be posted on an ongoing basis, see the site below (keywords: Projectathon or Test events 2019).
The tests around EPD interoperability are voluntary and non-binding for all participants. They enable an intensive exchange of knowledge and a steep learning curve for all participants. Participation is therefore recommended - not only for future EPD providers, but also for the manufacturers of the so-called primary systems (HIS, PIS, etc.) that will be connected to the EPD system. ■ www.e-health-suisse.ch
