The technology most of us carry with us every day is astounding. The average smartphone has more computing power than all of NASA did when they started sending astronauts to the moon. With tech like this in our pockets, we are seeking out easier ways to manage our lives, including our health.

Within the Health Service, our Chief Information Officer, Richard Corbridge, and his team are working to develop and implement new eHealth systems that will engage technology to deliver real healthcare benefit across the country by 2020.

The eReferrals project was one of the first to be piloted, and has now been fully rolled-out, with all public hospitals now able to receive eReferrals directly from GPs. Once the GP sends their referral in electronically, they get an immediate acknowledgement – this can be done while the patient is still in the room with them, replacing the lengthy process of sending a paper referral letter, and speeding up the process of making an appointment. The uptake has been strong, with a 10% increase in the number of referrals being made electronically in the first six months of the year.

New initiatives that the eHealth team are working on include the Individual Health Identifier – a number that uniquely and safely identifies each person that has used or may use a health service in Ireland, and the national Electronic Health Record with functions such as ePrescribing and Case Management.

To learn more about the future of our healthcare management system, and to track the progress of these exciting new projects, visit http://www.ehealthireland.ie.