The proposed introduction of electronic medical certificates has received a mixed response from GPs, according to new DWP research.
New electronic ‘fit notes’, developed in response to Dame Carol Black’s March 2008 report Working for a healthier tomorrow, are due to roll-out across Great Britain in the Spring of 2010.
The evaluation of a trial of the new electronic sickness certificates (eMed3) was carried out by a small number of GP practices in Wales – was carried out with participating and non-participating GPs, practice managers, employers and employees.
The research found that GPs participated ‘at a very basic level’, some felt eMed3 was simple and easy to use but some doubted whether it really was any quicker than using the paper-based system.
Furthermore, amongst non-participating GPs, the electronic certificates was widely seen as tinkering at the edges of a system that was not working very well, and the benefits of eMed3 generally seen as fairly marginal.
And more importantly some GPs questioned the motivation behind collecting data electronically.
Amongst some younger GPs there was a suspicion that this initiative was a precursor to a more intrusive system and that individual practices and GPs might find themselves under scrutiny at some point in the future. There was also some concern that patient confidentiality might be breached accidentally and, furthermore, that personal medical information might be used against the interest of the patient.
Quite!
July 16, 2009 at 3:54 am |
“That said, there was agreement amongst large employers that to be sure about
security an eMed3 sent electronically would need to be in pdf format. That way,
there would be no possibility of anyone tinkering with the form, especially if it was
going to be forwarded on to another department, e.g. HR or payroll, located in
another site/office.”
Huh?
Dont they know you can get PDF editors?
Or someone could recreate a new pdf based on the original if they lack the skill to edit the pdf?
Barcodes and numbers can also be faked…