STATING its goal of enhancing healthcare delivery in Nigeria, the Health Record Officers Registration
Board said on Wednesday that it has commenced the computerization of health records in Nigeria.
According to the registrar of the Board, Mr. Mohammed Ibrahim, who addressed a workshop held in Kaduna for Health Record Officers, the computerization program would ease access to health records and ensure its safety.
Ibrahim said the program would also provide reliable data to support effective healthcare delivery services in the country, adding that the board would conduct a retreat in the first quarter of 2013 to develop a comprehensive program on e-health record keeping, to help fast track the process.
He decried the use of quacks in the profession, saying that the computerization project would also help to track down and eliminate them.
Ibrahim urged hospitals to support the efforts of the board by employing only those with valid professional registration.
He advised health record professionals to be more proactive in meeting the new challenges confronting the service.
According to him, the board will develop a training curriculum to address emerging challenges in line with its continuing professional development agenda.
He added that the board was negotiating with the Kaduna State University to introduce a degree program in Health Information Management.
The registrar also said the board had developed a portal to ease registration, renewal of professional license and accessing examination results.
He warned institutions running program on health information to ensure the accreditation of the courses or risk sanction.
He also spoke on the compulsory continuing education program approved by the Federal Ministry of Health for health record professionals, saying it would soon come into effect.
Also speaking, a retired Director in Delta, Mrs Warri Toby said the workshop would help to ensure proper record keeping in the country.
According to her, most death incidents recorded in hospitals were often caused by computation of wrong medical records.
Another participant, Mrs Omidoyin Olubunmi of the School of Health Information Management, University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, urged the board to accredit more schools to run courses on health records in the country.