Biometric security used to access prison health records
- 23 August 2004
Doctors working in prisons covered by Southwest Dorset Primary Care Trust (SWDPCT) are being asked to use biometric security to access patient records and sign off medication. The security, introduced due to sensitivity and security surrounding prisoner records, comprises of a login sequence with both a user ID and a fingerprint keyboard reader. Clinicians can access the system to retrieve and update detailed health records. Biometric security extends to the prisoners when they receive medication as well. Satvinder Virk, director of The Phoenix Partnership, which developed and installed the system, explained the process to E-Health Insider. “The way the prisoner uses the system is slightly different. Nobody would expect them to use a user ID; they would register three fingerprints on the system. The biometrics to see if they’ve had medication are slightly different. It’s more for confirmation, and they use a fingerprint reader." “All healthcare happens within the prison – so it’s a more complete healthcare record than in a GP’s surgery," Virk says. All prison health records are linked to a centralised database, and can be shared and transmitted to external practitioners should a referral be needed. The data is not copied or distributed, and the prisoners in question are asked whether they want to allow others access to certain parts of their data. “They decide what information to share," says Virk. The system, which SWDPCT claims is the first in the country to link electronic prison records with healthcare, covers around 2,000 prisoners in six institutions across the southwest. Robert Dawson, project manager at SWDPCT, said: “We chose SystmOne Prison because it meets all the current specifications for a primary care system and its centralised database allows a practitioner to view up-to-date records wherever the patient is in the system." Another feature of the prison health record is a custom-built dental GUI, which staff hope will help reduce poor dental health among inmates as well as giving an extra layer of security and identification. “It’s basically one other way to identify prisoners, but from their health record. It’s healthcare and it’s security as well,” explains Virk. “The dental GUI is the same as a normal dentist would use, but we mark each tooth as damaged, decayed, or so on." Michael Jones, software developer at The Phoenix Partnership, said he hoped the system would “allow prison healthcare staff to provide a better standard of care by having greater access to patient information and more time with their patients by reducing administration."
