Disappointing Debut of Germany's Electronic Patient Record: A Rotary-Dial iPhone 16?
Unsatisfactory rollout of the digital health records system - Undermining Electronic Health Records: A Systematic Destruction Process
In the bustling healthcare scene of Hesse, there's a whiff of disillusionment lingering after the introduction of the electronic patient record (ePA). According to Christian Sommerbrodt, the chair of the Association of General Practitioners, it's like the FedMin of Health promised an iPhone 16, but they delivered a rotary-dial phone - a jarring comparison considering the high expectations.
To Sommerbrodt, the disappointment starts with the tech-savvy barrier. A staggering number of practices, around 66%, lack the technical prowess to tap into the ePA. The Association of General Practitioners attributes this to the hundred-odd practice management systems in circulation. Many companies are yet to develop functional solutions, leaving some in a pickle - their systems work for some, others need a fix, and some even have to switch providers.
Even under ideal circumstances, the experiences are underwhelming, explains Sommerbrodt. "It's just a Dropbox where you toss in PDF documents," he says. "There's no order, and you can't search anything." Despite the digital age, this ePA offers little digital efficiency.
Patients? They couldn't care less. According to Sommerbrodt, hardly anyone has access to their e-record, even via a health insurance app. Frankly, it's too much of a hassle for elderly patients or the seriously ill, the demographics who could most benefit from it.
So, what's the silver lining? Well, the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KV) in Hesse agrees the ePA concept is sensible. They just point out yet again, Germany's penchant for dragging out common sense innovations. "Only in Germany, we've once again masterfully managed to take an incredibly long time for a sensible innovation and bring a product to market that can't even fulfill the actual purpose of such a record," says KV spokesman Karl Roth.
At University Hospital Frankfurt, the ePA is still a big zero. In the first week, only a handful of patients with e-records dropped by. Jürgen Graf, the medical director, thinks it could revolutionize care and slash costs, like evading repetitive tests. "It's like we're stuck in the Stone Age," says Graf. So, any ePA, even the flawed one, is better than none? Maybe; but not yet, says Graf.
The major issues standing in the way are functionality gaps - the ePA is simply not comprehensive enough. If crucial details are missing, the benefits dwindle, leaving doctors in the same spot they were before - juggling documents, chasing colleagues for findings, and cross-checking data. A purely patient-led record? "It's got very little benefit," laments Graf.
Adding salt to the wound, there are nagging data privacy concerns. With hackers repeatedly exposing potential loopholes, "health data must be protected like bank data," insists Graf. Will Germany's ePA ever advance beyond the Stone Age? Only time will tell.
- electronic patient record
- digitalization
- Hesse
- disillusionment
- patient care
- Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians
- Germany
- Frankfurt
- university hospital
- data privacy
- kV spokesman Karl Roth
- technical challenges
- IPhone
- rotary-dial phone
- Dropbox
- Despite the flawed electronic patient record (ePA) in Hesse, the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KV) still finds the concept sensible, highlighting Germany's persistent issues with digitalization in patient care.
- The inconsistency in the functionalities of the ePA is a major concern for Jürgen Graf, the medical director at University Hospital Frankfurt, as it hinders the potential benefits of patient care and cost reduction.
- Karl Roth, the KV spokesman, shares that Germany's delay in advanced digitalization initiatives leads to subpar products, like the ePA, which lacks the necessary digital efficiency expected in the digital age.
- Workarounds to deal with the technical challenges of the ePA, such as treating it as a Dropbox for PDF documents, are insufficient and can leave crucial details lacking, recalling the need for proper digitalization in healthcare.
