The electronic health record (EHR) program– a systematized collection of patient and population electronically-stored health information in a digital format, was launched across the country on Tuesday.

Kianoush Jahanpour, the health ministry’s public relations director, said the ministry aims to develop the EHR in different fields including referral systems in health care and family medicine, ISNA reported.

The EHR project is jointly implemented by the ministries of health and ICT, the National Organization for Civil Registration, the Statistical Center of Iran, the Iran Health Insurance Organization and the Social Security Organization, he added.

Several organizations dealing with health issue can develop the EHR in different related fields, he explained.

Today about 84 percent of Iranians have EHR and others can set up a record by going to health centers in their neighborhood, he said.

“We plan to provide all health services even in medical treatment based on the information in electronic health record,” he explained.

Jahanpour announced that the health ministry plans to provide infrastructures for referral systems in health care and family medicine in the near future.

All guidelines and clinical instructions will be mentioned in EHR as an intellectual reference, he said.

E-prescribing and pharmacy electronic services will be offered in next stage, he added.

“The electronic records have a great effect in managing health resources and lead to efficiency in the field of healthcare, he said, adding, all healthcare services and packages will be registered on personal EHR which is recognized by the national ID number of citizens.”

He said that foreigners who live in Iran are also provided with EHR in the next phase.

EHR worldwide

According to the Allied Market Research, the global electronic health records market was valued at $23,592 million in 2016, and is expected to reach $33,294 million by 2023.

EHR contains all the data related to a patient's medical history including medications, diagnoses, immunization dates, treatment plans, radiology images, allergies, and test results from laboratories. These also allow access to evidence-based tools that are used by healthcare providers to make decisions about a patient's treatment. EHRs have also helped to streamline and automate the workflow in a healthcare setting.

Rise in adoption of EHR, increased use of EHR software, rapid surge in aging population, and subsequent rise in the number of chronic diseases drive the electronic health records market growth.

SB/MQ/MG