SimplHealth’s latest White Paper

SimplHealth’s latest White Paper urges move to online consenting

Health IT specialist SimplHealth sees online consenting as an important step towards a more informed, efficient and better healthcare system.

Its latest White Paper says the use of paper consent forms is archaic and anomalous in a digital age. It urges them to be replaced with online technology that captures important patient information to help develop a long term and total picture of population health.

It also says online consenting is a way to involve patients more in their health as part of a growing move towards shared decision making between clinicians and patients.

CEO of SimplHealth, Jodi Mitchell, says in an age of technology growth, where people are sharing some of their most personal details online, it’s nonsense to keep health information on paper and stored in drawers:

“In our lives we provide personal details about our health whenever we give consent to health services ranging from joining a GP practice to vaccinations or complex surgery,” she says.

“We have to do this for legal and ethical reasons, but it’s unlikely we remember what they were for, their terms and conditions or whether they were for ourselves or a dependent family member.

“We’ve all left a trail of permission and personal information with practices, clinics and hospitals, it’s all on paper and stored in thousands of filing cabinets, it isn’t shared and therefore has little value.

“Our White Paper is all about bringing this old-fashioned process into the 21st century and making this vast store of information useful, effective and able to improve health services and reduce costs,” she says.

While the paper focuses on online consenting it also takes a wider look at its relevance to healthcare as a whole and the growing importance of patient’s having more involvement and access to their own health information:

“Informed and engaged patients are happier patients,” continues Jodi Mitchell, “and thankfully there is growing understanding about this.

“However, in New Zealand we still have the situation where patients can only access their health information through their GP or healthcare provider.

“It’s antiquated that our personal health information is controlled by a government body,” she says.

“Technology is driving change in all industries and across the public sector so it’s only a matter of time before disruption truly changes healthcare and people have more direct access to their information. This change will be driven by people’s demands for a more modern healthcare service,” she says.

The paper goes into detail about an alternative online process for both consents and informed consents using online technology and highlights how this provides more ways to engage and inform patients fully.

“Paper based consenting is tried, tested and accepted but it’s very limited. We want to move consenting from a one-off process to being relevant to the whole of healthcare where information is shared, collaborated on and has value,” she says.

“In this way, consenting information will help drive healthcare, as the initial step in any health process or procedure,” she says.

“And while privacy is often raised as a barrier, with the Privacy Act there is a rigorous level playing field, whether information is on paper or online,” she concludes.

Earlier this year, SimplHealth partnered with Green Cross Health to launch New Zealand’s first online consent system for a minor medical procedure. The system operates through a dedicated websitewww.flushot.co.nz and makes it easier for people to have their annual flu shot by allowing customers to fill out their details on a consent form before visiting a pharmacist.

The paper points out that while this system applies to flu shots it could easily also apply to many other and more serious medical procedures.

The White Paper is provocatively titled “We should all be online consenting adults” and can be downloaded here. It is the third in a series about key issues in the New Zealand health system all of which can be addressed through the more efficient use of information.

ENDS

© Scoop Media