Electronic patient records secure Athens Olympics

All employees of the Attika Metro System, the underground railway system that runs through Athens, have been issued with ‘Global Health ID’ cards as part of general security measures under a deal between Alliance Security Products and PEMMS International. The system also extends to all employees in public transport in Athens.

“Each card contains a unique number only known to the individual,” explains Les Parsonson, MD of PEMMS International, who issue the cards. “They go to the access page on the internet, type in their ID number, and there are a series of templates."

“The Attika Metro system thought it was a stellar idea," he adds.

Each patient record contains next-of-kin information, medical information such as allergies and blood type, as well as insurance and medical contact details. Space for details of inoculations and previous operations is also provided.

All emergency rooms in hospitals in Athens have an internet connection, and an extra feature has been added for the Olympics so that record templates can be translated and edited in Greek. The web connection is encrypted using 128-bit SSL.

Patients are responsible for updating and filling in the information, and are regularly reminded to keep their records up-to-date.

Parsonson believes that because the card also serves as an ID, medics will find it, recognise it and use it: “When emergency personnel arrive on site, the first thing that they are going to do is look for any type of identity; for example, if someone is diabetic, they are going to have a form in their wallet."

According to Parsonson, the system is better than carrying around paper-based medical information because it is less bulky, easier to update, and based around a transferable set of templates. The system can also be updated by clinicians, and holds records and information such as x-ray results uploaded to it.

It would be theoretically possible for emergency services to access information on site through a PDA and a wireless internet connection, he adds.

The data on the website is solely owned by the patient, and is accessible only through the code on the ID card. Should the card be reported lost, the medical record is wiped.

Steven Baker, CEO of Alliance Security International, said that easy access to patient records was an important part of ensuring the safety of those working in public transport during the Olympics. “With all of the crucial initiatives that the Greek government is putting into place for the games, it was vital that the Metro personnel, who are responsible for transporting over 450,000 commuters daily and over one million during the Olympics, be reassured that in the case of an emergency their vital medical information could be made accessible to the local emergency response services."

“The Metro division is just the start. After the successful launch and implementation of the system we have already been approached with overwhelming requests by other world-wide leading Metros," he continued.

The company hopes that the exposure the Olympics is giving them will encourage regular international travellers to take up the service. They are also in talks with travel insurance companies and private medical firms. “The short and long term offering is for the patient to have control of all their information to take with them anywhere within the world," says Parsonson.

Individuals can buy twelve months’ subscription to the service for £10 from the PEMMS website.