Frequently Asked Questions

What do we provide ?

How does it work ?

What kind of information is stored ?

What are the benefits for the patient ?

What are the benefits for the doctor ?

Can I see my own information ?

Can I stop my information from being gathered?

What does it cost ?

How do I register to use this service ?

 What do we provide ?

The service that we provide at this site is uniquely designed to allow your medical information to be shared between your various service providers.

Rest assured that this can only happen with your consent.

What makes our site unique is a secure access to your information via your fingerprint.

This means that we don't only rely on codes and passwords to enable access to your information, but rather on your unique fingerprint, and that of your practioner.

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How does it work ?

Assume that your family doctor, paediatrician, physician and dentist have subscribed to our service.

When you visit any one of the practitioners, they can ask your permission to look at your history, allergies, previous encounters etc. If you agree, you will be asked to submit your fingerprint to enable the access to be granted.

If any of your previous visits were requested by you at the time to be deemed confidential, they will not be accessible to the doctor, unless you again grant access by using your fingerprint.

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What kind of information is stored ?

The information that can be viewed by your practitioner per each encounter consists of the complaint, vital signs, the diagnosis, any procedures done as well as the medication prescribed.

In addition, any allergies that have been noted, as well as past history and chronic conditions can be recalled.

Results of laboratory test and x-rays can also be stored.

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What are the benefits for the patient ?

The patient is no longer faced with trying to remember dates associated with previous visits, who was seen, what medicine was prescribed.

In addition, the risk in forgetting any of this information can be eliminated.

The other obvious benefit is that you should now be receiving treatment based upon accurate information available to your practitioner.

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What are the benefits for the doctor ?

When looking at past encounters, the doctor can see at a glance what is important and what is not.

Having previous encounters visible can prove cost effective in eliminating unnecessary laboratory test requests.

Enquiries by phone or fax for information from referring doctors can be eliminated.

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Can I see my own information ?

As a patient, you are fully entitled to see your own personal medical information. Obviously there needs to be tight security in accessing this information, to safeguard the confidentiality of your medical record.

As with banking on the internet, you will be able to view your own medical record after supplying a unique username and password. It is important that you safeguard this information.

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Can I stop my information from being gathered?

As our privacy policy states, you are fully entitled not to have your own personal medical information held on this site.

If you had previously consented and wish to change your mind, there is an opt-out option provided, which either you or your practitioner can invoke - this is detailed in the system help.

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What does it cost ?

As a patient, there is no cost whatsoever.

Your practitioner will require a personal computer that can link to the internet, as well as a fingerprint scanner. There is no computer program to be purchased by the practioner.

There is also no fee charged to the practitioner for using this service, once the terms of use have been accepted.

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How do I register to use this service ?

As a patient, you will be able to use the service after an authorized practioner has registered your details. Access codes and instructions will be sent to you via email.

Medical practioners can apply using the link on the main page of this site, or by contacting Electronic Patient Records (Pty) Ltd.

Once the application details of practioners have been verified, an email with access instructions will be sent to them. Access to the site will still be restricted until the fingerprint of the practioner has been registered.

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