Deploying electronic medical records: Rushing to reach the finish line on time

E Hospital deploys electronic medical records.

Vietnam has 52,000 clinics, about 400 private hospitals, 1,600 public hospitals. According to the request of the Government and the Ministry of Health , in September, all hospitals nationwide must complete the implementation of electronic medical records to replace traditional paper medical records.

Sprint to deploy electronic medical records

On September 29, many hospitals announced the implementation of electronic medical records, including Hospital E and Hospital 19-8 ( Ministry of Public Security ).

E Hospital has vigorously implemented digital transformation activities, focusing on deploying electronic medical records instead of paper medical records. This is considered an important step forward, aiming to improve the quality of medical examination and treatment, towards patient satisfaction.

Dr. Nguyen Cong Huu, Director of Hospital E, affirmed: The issue of implementing electronic medical records has always been a focus of the hospital and has been invested in for the past 2 years.

"Digitizing medical records not only helps reduce the amount of paperwork and administrative procedures, but also creates a more transparent, accurate and safe medical examination and treatment environment. Through electronic medical records, the patient's entire treatment history, test results, diagnostic imaging and prescriptions are stored centrally, easily retrieved, and at the same time ensure confidentiality according to legal regulations," said Dr. Huu.

Dr. Nguyen Cong Huu, Director of Hospital E, shares about the benefits of electronic medical records.

E Hospital will deploy electronic medical records in parallel to completely replace paper medical records from now until the end of November 2025, in order to overcome all obstacles and difficulties in the implementation process. The Information Technology Department is on duty 24/7 to work with departments to resolve difficulties during implementation in departments and functional offices.

Dr. Huu hopes that after applying electronic medical records, it will promote the successful digital transformation at Hospital E, moving towards building a smart hospital project: financial software, staff organization software... will help the hospital's operations run smoothly, quickly, ensuring publicity, transparency, strictness, and avoiding loss.

Also yesterday, Hospital 19-8 (Ministry of Public Security) officially deployed electronic medical records.

Specialist II, Meritorious Doctor Nguyen Thai Hung (Deputy Director of Hospital 19-8) said that the implementation of electronic medical records is an important step in the process of modernizing medical examination and treatment and improving the quality of health care for police officers and soldiers as well as people in the area.

"With more than 1,000 outpatients, mainly retired police officers, police officers, insurance participants, and citizens... the implementation of electronic medical records brings great benefits in terms of registration procedures, examination scheduling, and service quality will certainly be better," Dr. Hung affirmed.

The Central Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital officially announced the implementation of electronic medical records on the afternoon of September 29. Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Tuan Canh, Director of the Hospital, said that with the EMR system, all patient information such as treatment history, test results, diagnostic imaging and prescriptions are stored centrally, easy to look up and ensure safety and confidentiality according to legal regulations.

From October 1, 2025, Bach Mai Hospital officially implemented digital signature throughout the process, marking a historic step towards a paperless hospital. Previously, on November 1, 2024, Bach Mai Hospital was proud to be the first complete general hospital of the Ministry of Health to announce the application of electronic medical records.

The implementation of digital signatures throughout the process is a key step in the comprehensive digitalization roadmap of Bach Mai Hospital. In just a short time after digitizing the entire medical examination and treatment process and using electronic medical records, the hospital not only saves hundreds of billions of VND each year but also brings outstanding service experiences to the people. With digital signatures, all complicated administrative procedures, all journeys of hundreds of kilometers just to sign a piece of paper will become the past.

Benefits of electronic medical records

One of the leading localities, a bright spot in the implementation of electronic medical records is Bac Ninh province. Up to now, 100% of medical facilities with beds (including 15 provincial hospitals, 17 medical centers and 23 private hospitals) in the province have been assessed by specialized agencies and qualified to implement electronic medical records.

To date, many localities have completed 100% of medical examination and treatment facilities in the area to complete the assessment and announce the implementation of electronic medical records. In Lao Cai, 100% of medical examination and treatment facilities in the area have completed the assessment and announced the implementation of electronic medical records, exceeding the progress and targets set by the Government, the Ministry of Health and the Lao Cai Department of Health.

Hue City has also just announced the completion of the implementation of electronic medical records across the city's health system, finishing 12 days ahead of schedule. After the implementation period, up to now, 100% of medical examination and treatment facilities under the Hue City Department of Health have completed the implementation of electronic medical records, demonstrating a breakthrough in the digital transformation roadmap for health care.

Patients get an automatic examination number at the smart Kiosk at Hospital 19-8 (Ministry of Public Security).

Director of E Hospital Nguyen Cong Huu said that when the hospital implements electronic medical record management, instead of having to carry many different types of documents such as: Citizen ID card, health insurance card..., patients now only need to use a smartphone to register for an online examination or a citizen ID card to register for an examination at the automatic number machine.

The medical examination and treatment process is stored in electronic medical records, cashless payment and online refunds are made automatically at clinics to ensure publicity, transparency, strictness, and to avoid loss.

Publicly disclose daily drugs and consumables, receive results online, patients proactively look up medical records, discharge papers, surgery forms, follow-up appointment papers... right on the E Hospital App.

"Previously, it was difficult to grasp all the medical records of patients being treated in the department. All patient data such as: X-ray films, test results, medical records were all on paper. Previously, every morning, nurses had to summarize medical orders and then create a summary form, which took a lot of time and was prone to errors.

"For electronic medical records, all medical orders are digitized, nurses only need to open their phones or tablets to be able to do it. Electronic medical records help shorten the time to spend more time taking care of patients," said Dr. Huu.

When implementing electronic medical records, doctors can look up patient history, test results and diagnostic images with just a few clicks on the computer. The entire treatment process is accurately stored and easily retrieved for medical consultation.

Electronic medical records optimize management processes, improve quality of care, enhance information safety and security, and support public health research and management...

THIEN LAMB

Source: https://nhandan.vn/trien-khai-ho-so-benh-an-dien-tu-gap-rut-ve-dich-dung-han-post911613.html