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Electronic Patient Records (EPR), Library Services (LS) and Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) Meetings: Is It Not Time to Integrate Primary Care for the Better?
Abstract
Patients with Long-Term Conditions (LTCs) account for around 50% of General Practitioner (GP) appointments, 64% of outpatient appointments and 70% of hospital bed days. There needs to be a wider access to knowledge and understanding such as directories with information leaflets, documents, books on lifestyle, helpful contacts and sources to information that can support patients and the general public on the most important elements their health. This cannot be achieved just through patients accessing their health records in sole. The objective of this paper is to 1) highlight the importance of integrating General Practice (GP), Electronic Patient Records (EPR) with Library Services (LS) and 2) also explore why it would be advantageous to implement patient-centred Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) meetings in primary care for patients with Long-Term Conditions (LTCs). This article provides a UK glance and how primary care services can be improved, integrating for the better. Having access to Electronic Patient Records (EPR) alone will not help or encourage a patient to gain confidence and/ or understanding especially if patients are overwhelmed by their healthcare choices and Health Literacy (HL) complexities. Patients' whose first language is not English for example, approaching more methods to support HL is/ will be challenging. Library and Health Services partnerships should be initiated to allowing access to wider resources. In addition, patient-centred Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) meetings should be arranged at dedicated time points between a doctor and patient/ carer and these can take place in a private section within library setting involving wider participation in care plans. Given that more patients and the public will have opportunity to access their health records, a “Libraries and Health” partnership can help integrate primary healthcare better thus allowing all to access health-related literature, using books, leaflets and digital media in a comfortable environment in a setting that also has staff that can support with HL and technology. An EPR and MDT initiative should be supported with library and health partnerships; this needs to be encouraged.
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