Minister for Health and Active Ageing Jo Etienne Abela announced that through a pilot project in recent months, Ward S4 at Mater Dei Hospital has gone digital when it comes to patient record notes. “The digital transition in patient care is a priority for this government,” Minister Abela said.
It was explained how, over the past few months, in this ward, doctors, nurses and other professionals, through the digital program ‘Patient Dashboard’, have changed the way they take notes of patients in this ward. During the Covid 19 pandemic, the Health Informatics team had worked to ensure that this program was used by the Department of Surgery as well as by Mater Dei Outpatients.
“Today we are taking the next step in this digital core where one of the main wards in this hospital has now switched completely to digital notes. This project is part of the Government’s vision towards a digital transition, and we are committed to continuing this work so that more wards become this core,” said Minister Jo Etienne Abela.
It was further explained that this digital core will help not only the patient but also the professionals as, among others, it will avoid the risk of physical notes being lost or damaged as well as remove the risk of notes being illegible due to illegible spelling. The minister also mentioned how this program is accessible both at the General Hospital in Gozo, at St. Vincent’s as well as by Active Aging.
“This digital core is an important step towards a more efficient, secure and patient-centred health system. Through this technology, it will not only improve clinical outcomes, but will also assist in the operational work of our professionals. The Government is committed to continuing with this digital core which also aligns with the Malta Vision 2050”, concluded Minister Abela.
Dr Clifford Caruana, Clinical Chairperson at the Department of General and Vascular Surgery, said that through this change they are seeing not only another environmentally friendly project, but also a project that will help strengthen patient privacy in compliance with GDPR regulations.
Photo (MHA)
