Electronic Care Records: An Update on the Garner Project
Change is omnipresent in modern society. Much of it relates to new technology and, in particular, to information, communication and management technology. To thrive, individuals and organisations must react appropriately to the challenges offered by such change. This opinion piece outlines the most recent phase of a continuing project exploring the use of information and communication technologies in the allied health professions. It focuses on the use of electronic patient records, or electronic care records as they have more recently become known. Such records form an important strand in the National Health Service's vast, ongoing National Programme for Information Technology (Granger 2003, NPfIT 2004). The piece concludes by outlining the steps that occupational therapists and occupational therapy services can take to ensure that they are well placed to participate in current and future electronic care records initiatives.