'Double' benefits from electronic medical records

Data and technology are becoming important driving forces for the development of the healthcare industry, opening up fundamental changes in healthcare management and care. A breakthrough solution is electronic medical records, a tool that completely replaces paper records, helping to streamline processes, reduce administrative procedures, improve treatment efficiency and bring practical benefits to people.

Thai Nguyen A Hospital deploys an electronic medical record system, helping to manage patient information more scientifically and conveniently.

From paper records to digital data

In Thai Nguyen, the implementation of electronic medical records has contributed to improving the quality of health care and demonstrated the province’s pioneering role in the national digital transformation of healthcare . For many years, shelves full of paper medical records have been a familiar sight in most hospitals.

When it comes to searching, archivists have to spend a lot of time searching and photocopying each medical record. For patients with chronic diseases, the thick files can take hours to retrieve past medical information.

This manual process not only wastes time, costs a lot in storage and maintenance, but also poses a risk of error. The advent of electronic medical records (EMRs) has created a fundamental change.

This is a system that stores and manages all patient medical information on a digital platform, including personal data, medical examination results, diagnoses, treatment processes, vaccination history and medication use. Thanks to that, doctors only need one operation to retrieve complete data, instead of having to manually search through dozens of paper files.

Ms. Le Nhu Quynh, group 11, Tich Luong ward, is being treated at Thai Nguyen Medical Center, said: Now when I go to the doctor, I only need to bring my citizen ID card. All information has been saved in the system, the doctor can open it and see it right away. Patients feel much more secure because the data is stored safely and accurately, no more worries about losing documents.

According to the roadmap of the Ministry of Health, by 2030, 100% of hospitals nationwide will deploy HSBAĐT, moving towards completely eliminating paper records. This is an inevitable trend of digital transformation, and at the same time a mandatory requirement to synchronize medical data, serving the goal of universal health care.

There are currently 36 hospitals in the province, including 3 hospitals under ministries and branches, 7 private hospitals and 26 hospitals under the Department of Health. By the end of August 2025, all medical facilities in the province have replaced paper records with HSBAĐT.

Large units such as Thai Nguyen Central Hospital, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital and Military Hospital 91 have all deployed synchronously, even completing earlier than required.

Impressive figures show that Thai Nguyen is among the leading countries in digital transformation of healthcare. The transition from cumbersome paper records to modern digital data helps the healthcare sector reduce the workload for staff, save costs, and at the same time bring a convenient and safe experience to patients. This is an important step in the process of building a smart, modern, people-centered healthcare system.

One platform, many values

Health check for patients at Thai Nguyen C Hospital.

The highlight of HSBAĐT is to create simultaneous benefits for many parties, which is to help patients receive quick service, doctors have complete data for more accurate diagnosis and treatment, and health managers have a reliable basis for effective policy planning and management.

For patients, HSBAĐT makes medical examination and treatment simpler and more convenient. There is no need to carry around piles of records, X-rays or test results, all data is stored in the system and can be accessed at any medical facility.

This allows doctors to quickly grasp the patient's medical history to develop an accurate treatment plan. This benefit is especially important for the elderly, chronic patients, or in emergency situations, where every minute is crucial.

HSBAĐT is also connected to the VssID application of Vietnam Social Security and the grassroots health management platform, helping patients to monitor their health information anytime, anywhere. Proactively capturing health data not only helps the treatment process go more smoothly, but also raises awareness of self-care and disease prevention.

For doctors and medical staff, HSBAĐT helps save a significant amount of time compared to manual recording. Test results and diagnostic images are automatically updated on the system, minimizing the risk of confusion.

In particular, HSBAĐT integrates a smart warning function, supporting early detection of drug interactions, allergies or contraindications - important factors to ensure patient safety.

Specialist II Doctor Nguyen Van Nghia, Head of the Department of Trauma Surgery, Thai Nguyen C Hospital, shared: Since applying HSBAĐT, we have saved a lot of time on administrative procedures, giving us more conditions to focus on our expertise, especially consulting and treating patients.

From a management perspective, HSBAĐT is an important “data warehouse” serving policy making. Information on diseases, epidemics, and treatment costs is automatically and transparently collected, helping the health sector forecast trends, allocate resources, and adjust policies promptly.

When connected to the national population database and health insurance system, HSBAĐT will contribute to forming a comprehensive digital health ecosystem, aiming for the goal of "every person having an electronic health record" by 2030.

Towards a smart healthcare ecosystem

Patients can conveniently check in and receive treatment at the hospital thanks to the automatic number taking kiosk.

Identifying healthcare as a priority area in digital transformation, Thai Nguyen has invested synchronously in technology infrastructure, hospital management software (HIS), medical image archiving and transmission system (PACS), and deployed HSBAĐT in many large hospitals.

Up to now, medical facilities in the province have basically completed the digitization of paper medical records and deployed HSBAĐT according to regulations. Thai Nguyen Central Hospital, Thai Nguyen C Hospital and many other hospitals and regional clinics have applied this system, creating a foundation for expansion throughout the province.

Ms. Luu Thi Binh, Deputy Director of Thai Nguyen Department of Health, said: Thai Nguyen Department of Health is actively implementing the integration of Electronic Health Book on VNeID application, and applying public digital signatures for 100% of cadres, civil servants, public employees and workers in the whole industry. This is an important step to synchronize data, ensuring the legality of electronic records.

In particular, Thai Nguyen is one of four provinces nationwide participating in the pilot Medical Data Coordination System (G-Medical), connecting data from medical examination and treatment facilities to the National Data Coordination Center at Bach Mai Hospital and Cho Ray Hospital. Currently, the whole province has completed the connection of medical examination and treatment data of 100% of hospitals, medical centers, 172 medical stations and 23 polyclinics; with more than 555,000 records synchronized to the system.

The implementation of HSBAĐT does not stop at the goal of digitalizing hospital management but also opens up opportunities to develop many smart medical applications such as remote examination and treatment, artificial intelligence applications in diagnosis, or big data analysis to forecast epidemics. This is an important foundation towards forming a comprehensive medical ecosystem, where each person can manage their health proactively, intelligently and safely.

HSBAĐT is not only a management software, but also the “golden key” to improve the quality of health care, modernize the health system and move towards a health system for people, for sustainable development. When deployed synchronously, Thai Nguyen people will no longer have to wait in line to get medical records or worry about lost records. Instead, all medical data will be connected seamlessly, transparently and securely.

Digital transformation of healthcare in general and the implementation of HSBAĐT in particular is an inevitable trend. With drastic steps, Thai Nguyen is gradually realizing the goal of "each person having an electronic health record", contributing to making the province a high-quality healthcare center of the Northern midlands and mountainous region.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/y-te/202510/loi-ich-kep-tu-benh-an-dien-tu-4073425/