New standards on sharing digital child health records launched

sick patient auscultated by paediatrician

Information standards setting out how important information about a child’s health should be shared digitally among healthcare professionals and parents have been launched.

The standards, launched on 31 October by NHS Digital, have been developed in consultation with parents and healthcare professionals, and support the Healthy Child Programme.

David Low, consultant paediatrician and adviser to the Digital Child Health programme, said: “Creating these standards for digital exchange of health information is a significant step towards achieving the goals of the Healthy Child Programme.

“It is a great example of collaborative working as parents, carers and health professionals have all been involved in creating this information standard, and we will all benefit from the changes it brings. It will save time for health professionals by cutting back on paperwork and giving them access to a standardised set of health information.

“Both health professionals and parents will have greater assurance that a child has received all the preventative care needed to ensure the best start in life.”

Devised by the Professional Record Standards Body for Health and Social Care as part of the Healthy Child programme, the standards focus on events around the birth, routine health visitor, school nurse and primary care events (including immunisations) and developmental checks, developmental firsts and personal information. Parents will be given the option of having the personal child health record (the Redbook) in an electronic format.

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Citation
The Pharmaceutical Journal, New standards on sharing digital child health records launched;Online:DOI:10.1211/PJ.2017.20203861

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