Rotunda Hospital officially moves away from paper-based records

The Rotunda Hospital, Dublin, the oldest continuously operating maternity hospital in the world has announced that it is the first Dublin maternity hospital to introduce a full electronic health record (EHR) for all newborn babies and women receiving maternity services at the hospital. This move from paper-based records to electronic records is timely as HIQA makes a submission to a Department of Health consultation criticising Ireland as one of the last developed countries to harness the technologies available. The Maternal & Newborn Clinical Management System (MN-CMS), a national system which will be implemented in all 19 maternity units across the country will enhance care as all patients will have an electronic record instead of a paper record, allowing clinical record information to be shared with relevant providers of care, as and when required.

Professor Fergal Malone, Master, Rotunda Hospital, said: “We are very proud to announce that the Rotunda Hospital is the first Dublin maternity hospital and the third hospital nationally, to introduce the Maternal & Newborn Clinical Management System (MN-CMS). The Rotunda is the first stand-alone hospital to go completely electronic in terms of its maternity healthcare records, which has the potential to offer great efficiencies for patients and healthcare providers. We anticipate even further advances in terms of patient safety and satisfaction over and above our existing services. This successful launch is a result of the collaboration, dedication and teamwork of many staff within the hospital, the HSE, Cerner and maternity services nationally.”

Minister for Health, Simon Harris TD, said: “I’m delighted that Ireland’s oldest maternity hospital is its newest digitally enabled hospital. This is the latest hospital to be included in the MN-CMS project, following the already successful introduction in Cork University Maternity Hospital and University Hospital Kerry. The electronic health record for mothers and babies was endorsed in the National Maternity Strategy and supports better, safer clinical decision-making and facilitates the provision of a more connected health service delivering improved health outcomes. The rollout of MN-CMS to the Rotunda Hospital marks a very significant development in the delivery of maternity care.”

Jane Carolan, Interim CIO HSE, said: “This is another important step in our Electronic Health journey, MN-CMS is one of eHealth Irelands flagship programmes. This is a significant investment in modernising the service through the deployment of technology which directly improves patient care. The go-live is another step in the journey for the Rotunda Hospital, a hospital with a fantastic history and exciting future – Welcome to the Digital World.”

The system has been specifically tailored to the Irish healthcare system with clinicians completing a full clinical validation of the design and build of the MN-CMS.

For more information visit http://www.ehealthireland.ie/Strategic-Programmes/MNCMS/