The ‘Lighthouse Projects’ focus on chronic diseases such as Epilepsy, Haemophilia, and Bipolar Disorder within the clinical disciplines. The Epilepsy Lighthouse project represents a collaborative effort involving multiple organizations, including RCSI, HSE, eHealth Ireland, Epilepsy Ireland, Beaumont Hospital, and Ergo. The utilization of information technology in healthcare brings numerous positive outcomes and benefits for both patients and healthcare professionals.
The Challenge
Providing Individualized Services and Care in Epilepsy (PISCES)” is a Lighthouse Project that involves several key partners, including HSE, eHealth Ireland, Epilepsy Ireland, RCSI, and Beaumont. Previously, there was no electronic means for patients, academics, or clinicians across Ireland to securely record their medical information, leading to various challenges and complications.
The Solution
The PISCES Project aims to leverage technology to advance a model of precise, proactive, and personalized healthcare for the over 40,000 individuals with epilepsy across Ireland. The developed solution consists of an Electronic Patient Record (EPR) and a Patient Portal App designed specifically to cater to the unique needs of epilepsy patients. The patient portal is a cloud-based, mobile-first application, ensuring that information can be collected, added to the care record, and accessed by the care team, regardless of their geographical location or care setting.
Additionally, the project includes the creation of a Business Intelligence (BI) solution that allows clinicians to securely utilize aggregated patient data for analysis, extracting valuable insights to benefit the broader patient community and inform future care and population health initiatives.
With the Electronic Patient Record (EPR) in place, clinicians now have a unified view of patient information, serving as a single, authoritative source where all patient medical data can be recorded and accessed from anywhere in the country. The EPR system also simplifies the interpretation of genetic data and facilitates the documentation of decisions and agreed-upon actions, streamlining the healthcare process for epilepsy patients.
