A model approach to sharing electronic medical records between and within the state hospitals in Turkey

It has always been a research interest to solve hospital management problems with systematic approach by using modern management tools. Almost all the Hospital Information System (HIS) software packages in Turkey keep track of local transactions in administrative activities and material flow. In state hospitals in Turkey, very little medical information is processed and most of the records are still kept manually and archived on papers. In this paper, a cost-effective, flexible and easy-to-use Hospital Information System model is proposed in order to give better diagnostic and treatment services. It is also demonstrated that this model makes it possible to exchange information between and within the hospitals over Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) network. User needs are taken into consideration during model development and the benefits of model implementation to the hospital administration are stated. According to the model proposed in this paper, only a single health care record number (HCRN) is required for a patient to access all her/his medical records stored in different locations, from any state hospital in Turkey.