Abstract
BackgroundPatients and citizens need access to their health information to get a retrospective as well as a prospective view on their care and rehabilitation processes. However, patients’ health information is stored in several health information systems and interoperability problems often hamper accessibility. In Sweden a national health information exchange (HIE) platform has been developed that enables information exchange between different health information systems. The aim of this study is to explore the opportunities and limitations of accessing and interacting with important health information through the Swedish national HIE platform.MethodsA single case study approach was used for this study as an in-depth understanding of the subject was needed. A fictive patient case with a pseudo-name was created based on an interview with a stroke coordinator in Stockholm County. Information access through the national health information exchange platform and available service contracts and application programming interfaces were studied using different scenarios.ResultsBased on the scenarios created in this study, patients would be able to access some health related information from their electronic health records using the national health information exchange platform. However, there is necessary information which is not retrievable as it is either stored in electronic health records and eHealth services which are not connected to the national health information exchange platform or there is no service contract developed for these types of information. In addition, patients are not able to share information with healthcare professionals.ConclusionThe national Swedish HIE platform provides the building blocks needed to allow patients online access to their health information in a fragmented and distributed health system. However, more complex interaction scenarios allowing patients to communicate with their health care providers or to update their health related information are not yet supported. Therefore it is of great importance to involve patients throughout the design and evaluation of eHealth services on both national and local levels to ensure that their needs for interoperability and information exchange are met.
Highlights
Patients and citizens need access to their health information to get a retrospective as well as a prospective view on their care and rehabilitation processes
The results are divided into different sections: (1) a patient case based on the previous personas and a mapping of the journey model with the patients’ needs, (2) an overview of the available service contracts and Application programming interfaces (API), (3) different usage scenarios with an analysis of the information flow between the care and rehabilitation planning tool and different source systems through the national health information exchange (HIE) platform
Scenario III: access to the list of assistive tools using eHealth service ‘My assistive tools’ in the third scenario we explore access to information which is currently not stored in a structured way in the electronic health record (EHR) systems
Summary
Patients and citizens need access to their health information to get a retrospective as well as a prospective view on their care and rehabilitation processes. The aim of this study is to explore the opportunities and limitations of accessing and interacting with important health information through the Swedish national HIE platform. Patient participation has become more common in healthcare and patients and citizens request access to their health data to enable their involvement in decision making, engagement with their healthcare information and control of their care processes [3, 4]. Several studies have explored patients’ and citizens’ online access to their health information and medical records [7,8,9]. Rather the studies indicate that having online access to health information will give patients the opportunity to check their past activities; be prepared for future actions, and develop new expectations. The results show that providing patients online access to their EHR offer increased satisfaction and improved patient safety [4]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
