Patients Know Best is a fully secure system which enables patients themselves to organise and share their own personal records with others. For example they can share information not only with clinicians anywhere in the world, but other organisations like social services, or even members of their family. The choice about who sees their records and what they see is entirely theirs.
ABM University Health Board (ABMU) – which has carried out several successful PKB pilots – has established a national framework for its use across Wales. The framework, which has been approved by the Cabinet secretary for Health and Social Care, Vaughan Gething, will allow other NHS Wales organisation to buy and implement the system.
ABMU has been working with the National Welsh Informatics Service (NWIS) to provide the secure connections needed to enable patients with a PKB account across Wales to receive a copy of their results and letters from the national IT systems.
The framework adds to work already being done by PKB at a national level with NHS Wales and young adults’ diabetes services across all local health boards in Wales, as well as the 1,000 Lives Project with the Ears Nose and Throat department in Cardiff and Vale University Health Board. ABMU’s pilot PKB schemes have included dermatology, prostate cancer and inflammatory bowel diseases.
Professor Hamish Laing, executive medical director, director of informatics and innovation at ABMU said:
“We are delighted to be working with PKB to empower our patients by sharing their own health information with them and helping them share it with others, securely. Not only will this help patients to look after their own health better, but it will allow us to provide care in ways that are easier for patients and more efficient for the Health Board. We look forward to making this available to our patients in the Bridgend area in the coming months.”
Dr Mohammad Al-Ubaydli, CEO and founder of Patients Know Best said:
“This is Europe’s first national framework for a patient-held medical record. We are proud that PKB was chosen for its patient-centred approach and delighted that ABMU are leading the way in Wales. Patient-controlled records are the only way to deliver integrated care at scale.”
