From a paper-based to an electronic registry in physiotherapy

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Digital Health
• Healthcare Technology

Background:

• The healthcare industry is transitioning to digital data storage.
• Electronic healthcare records (EHRs) are essential for integrated data management.
• Belgian law mandates electronic registries for physiotherapists since 2007.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an electronic registry system for Belgian physiotherapists.
• To ensure compliance with legal requirements for clinical data.
• To enhance data traceability and inalterability in physiotherapy records.

Main Methods:

• Development of an electronic registry system.
• Implementation of SHA-256 codes for data verification.
• Periodic recording of standardized data into XML registry messages.
• Utilizing XSLT schema for data transformation.

Main Results:

• A user-friendly, legally compliant electronic registry system was developed.
• The system ensures traceability and inalterability of physiotherapy records.
• Certified software packages enable automatic generation of required documents.

Conclusions:

• The electronic registry system meets legal constraints and enhances data integrity.
• This development promotes the adoption of electronic record-keeping among physiotherapists.
• It serves as a foundation for a fully integrated electronic physiotherapy record system.