The local health authority of Bologna (Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale di Bologna, in Italian) calls the Electronic Health Record 'the new health horizon of web 2.0'. The EHR brings in one place the clinical history of a citizen based on the digital data and documents gathered on the SOLE network.
The SOLE network connects primary care practices (general practitioners and paediatricians) of the Emilia-Romagna Region (where Bologna is located) with the Regional Health Service. It is planned that specialist practitioners will soon be connected too.
Currently, the EHRs contain medical reports of consultations and test results issued by public healthcare institutions of the Regional Health Service (local health authorities, hospitals, university hospitals, etc) as well as emergency care reports, and discharge letters from public hospitals.
The EHRs are stored on the Internet at www.fascicolo-sanitario.it. Their access is protected and restricted to their respective holders, who must enter their personal credentials or use a smartcard (Identity card, electronic health card) in order to view them. General practitioners can access their patient's health data directly provided that the patient has given prior consent accordingly.
Getting the credentials for accessing one's own EHR is simple: one only needs to connect to the website, follow the registration instructions, and then visit one of the 46 Unified Booking Centres (Centri Unificati di Prenotazione - CUP, in Italian) of Bologna and its province - the Regional Health Service's offices for booking visits or exams. Alternatively, one can go directly to a CUP without prior online registration but the procedure will be longer. Citizens must bring their ID document as well as a copy of it, and provide an email address.
It is worth noting that the EHR access credentials also allow accessing the online services of the CUP.
Once their account is activated, citizens will be able to view their own personalised page from which they can: check and print documents, insert new ones, obtain information on doctors and institutions, place reminders in the notepad, record healthcare appointments in the agenda. Soon, more documents will be featured in the EHRs, including vaccination certificates, reports issued by private healthcare establishments, medical prescriptions and any documents that the citizen will want to add.
For the time being EHRs are available to their owners while in the future, they will be made available partly or entirely to specialist practitioners, provided a prior referral is made each time. The EHRs are seen as having the potential to reduce patient visits to counters or offices, which will obviously simplify procedures. Ultimately, thanks to their EHR citizens will gradually benefit from the most recent advantages of ICT and will be able to enjoy a full package of healthcare-related services, from prescription to booking, and from payment to referral.
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