Most Irish people are strongly in favour of their personal medical records being made available to different practitioners across the health system, according to an opinion poll published today.
A total of 1002 adults were surveyed by telephone for the poll last month for the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA). The survey focused on people’s views on the use of their personal health information to improve patient safety and care.
It found that 86 per cent of those surveyed believed such data should be linked up across the health system, while 94 per cent said their personal medical records should be accessed by medical professionals if picked up by ambulance in a life threatening situation.
The poll also found that the majority of those surveyed (96 per cent) thought people should be allocated a personal number corresponding to their medical records that GPs, hospitals and other medical practitioners could use to access their health information.
Almost all those surveyed believed they had a right to be informed of who has access to their information.
Prof Jane Grimson, director of Health Information at HIQA, said the poll’s findings were a step towards improving patient safety and care in Ireland. “This is both positive and important for the further development of health information policy, which is an essential area of work for the authority," she said.
The findings will be used by the authority in the debate on the Health Information Bill and in its work on improving patient safety.