Swedish National Patient Overview halted

The National Patient Overview in Sweden, which provides an electronic summary of a patient’s record, has been halted following concerns about the amount of information patients are receiving about the project.

The NPO first went live in Örebro County Council in June last year, following a four year deal with InterSystems and Tieto to provide and implement a system to provide patient identity information, alerts, diagnosis, care services and medications.

However, E-Health Europe has learned that the project has been at a standstill for the past two months.

Swedish health IT expert Rikard Lövström, told EHE that the information campaign had not been successful in informing patients about the information that care providers will have access to.

“There have been several problems with getting the information across; including not providing it in the correct languages and not enough people knowing what is going on.

“The patient must be informed on the first occasion and be given the option to refuse if they want to. There has been some general information that has gone out to patients but it has not been enough.”

Lövström added that there is no assumed consent in the project. The patient only gives their consent when they visit their clinician; which is also slowing down the process.

Earlier this year, the chief information of Sörmland County Council, one of the councils that is preparing to go-live with the system, told EHE that ten regions were expected to go-live with the NPO in 2010 and that additional ten would go live in 2011.

However, Lövström added: “Only one area has gone live and although that has been halted it will restart in the next few weeks. There are two more that are close to going live so there should be three live within the next few months – but not ten.”

According to Lövström, roll-out should recommence in Örebro County Council over the next two weeks.