There are many complications that doctors face and they go unnoticed by the rest of the population. Having the follow-up of a patient seems simple but one of the inconveniences is generated when they change care institution. The fragmentation of the health system in our country makes the process difficult and usually it is necessary to start from scratch. Although now that could end thanks to the implementation of the Single Health Record.
This initiative was presented since 2020 with the aim of helping improve patient care. The idea is for it to be in electronic format and available to all doctors, regardless of whether they are from the public or private sector. In this way, people’s information could be gathered for proper monitoring. With this there would also be a decrease in time that is usually very valuable in these cases. It would also reduce costs for health institutions.
How will it work?
What was stipulated from the beginning is that the Single Health File contains all the information and history of the patient, in addition to his history of visits to the doctor. As its name indicates, there would only be one for each person, so it is proposed that it works with the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS) and the Institute of Social Services for State Workers (ISSSTE). Also with the Ministry of Health (SSa), Semarnat, Sedena, clinics attached to pharmacies and private.
For months the initiative was shelved but today it was resumed and it was confirmed that it will be a reality very soon. In this case, the Head of Government of Mexico City, Claudia Sheinbaum, reported that coordination with federal health institutions is maintained so that this initiative will begin next year in the capital of the country. This would ensure that people can be followed up on their medical records and have more personalized attention.
The statement was made during the presentation of the new social program “Health in your Life, Health for Well-being”. The objective of this idea is to go to the homes of all citizens of the capital to invite the adoption of a correct lifestyle. To achieve this, there will be a historic alliance between the IMSS and the ISSSTE.
As part of the program, promoters from the capital government will be deployed who will visit the population house to house. The objective is to explain the meaning of having a healthy life and to link the population with the health jurisdictions and Health Centers where they will receive medical care. These promoters will carry out a questionnaire to find out if the homes are prone to any disease. In addition, people can also receive information by sending an SMS text message to 51515 with the word “Take care”.
Decrease lawsuits against physicians
However, with respect to the Single Health Record, one more benefit that is expected to be achieved is to reduce the lawsuits against doctors. What has been said from the beginning is that it would make it easier to identify the causes of alleged negligence and thus offer an immediate solution because the patients’ background would be integrated into a file with the corresponding documentary support.