Health Information and the NEHR

What is "Health Information"?

Health information includes:

Personal details - This refers to information like your name, address, phone number, and other personal details. This counts as health information when it is used for healthcare purposes.

Medical details - This refers to information about your physical and mental health, as well as details about your diagnosis, treatment, and care. Examples include your prescriptions, test results, medical procedures, and discharge notes when you leave the hospital.

Where will health information be stored?

When you visit a healthcare service, health information generated during that visit will be recorded in their health record systems. Under the HIB, a subset of these information will be contributed and stored in the National Electronic Health Record system (NEHR).

National Electronic Health Record System (NEHR)

The NEHR is the national repository that collects and stores a selected copy of your health information across different healthcare providers. This contains important details about your medical history that healthcare professionals would generally need to make more informed medical decisions and deliver safe and better care.

For example, drug allergies, laboratory test results and prescribed medications are types of health information that will be contributed to the NEHR. There may be occasions where you may not recall the type of medications you are on, or the tests already done, and your doctor can access the information in NEHR before determining the course of treatment.

What does mandatory contribution to NEHR mean?

The HIB will require all licensed healthcare providers and MOH-approved care providers (such as retail pharmacies) to contribute data to NEHR. In other words, selected health information generated from your care episode with your healthcare provider will be contributed and stored in NEHR. This means better care coordination across providers, fewer repeated tests, and more well-informed medical decisions. Over time, your NEHR will become an increasingly useful tool for healthcare professionals in delivering care to you.

Read on to find out more about NEHR or visit Synapxe’s website for more information.