Bengaluru: Nearly five years after Nimhans began digitising its patient records, the institute is nearing completion of a massive exercise to convert 16 lakh medical records dating back to 1975 into digital form. Around one lakh records are yet to be digitised, with the institute aiming to complete the process within a year.The move is part of Nimhans’ larger effort to make its patient journey fully digital and reduce its dependence on paper records. The psychiatry department has already shifted to electronic health records for outpatient care, while processes related to investigations — from ordering tests to viewing results — are fully digital, according to Dr YC Janardhan Reddy, director, Nimhans.He said the institute is looking at how the vast repository of electronic health records could eventually be used to identify patterns among patients. “Once electronic health records are there, technology can be used to see the patterns. Ultimately, the pattern could give us a better idea into what factors contribute to development of disorders,” he said.Dr Arvinda HR, medical superintendent, Nimhans, said the digitisation project began in Oct 2021 with additional central govt funding through Kayakalp programme.He said the records had earlier occupied almost five floors of the outpatient block. “The records are searchable, password-protected and available in real time, reducing the time staff spend locating files and improving the security of patient information,” he said.Going forward, the institute plans to begin capturing disease-related patient information digitally within a year. “The transition will require faculty, students and staff to adapt to digital technology in their working practices to further improve patient care,” Dr Arvinda said.
