Health – Doctors establish online links

In this case, a portal is a direct email connection to your general practice medical file. There are various types and not all offer the same degree of access, but a basic system would allow you to make appointments, request repeat prescription and check your results. Portals are big news at the moment, with some new systems being rolled out and the Ministry of Health running a major promotional campaign.Patients love them. Imagine waking up at three o’clock in the morning with tonsillitis and being able to go straight online to book a GP appointment. Perhaps you are waiting on blood results but have been playing telephone tag with the practice nurse trying to contact you. With a portal you have quick access to the results and any advice associated with them. Everybody wins with this sort of immediate direct response. Repeat prescriptions can be requested at the click of a button and you have electronic confirmation that your request has been received. The only requirement is that each patient has a unique email address, which may limit family usage.

Depending on the system, you may be able to check other details of your medical records, such as when you had your last tetanus shot or if you are overdue for a smear. Some portals allow access to your medical history so you fill out those travel insurance forms more easily or check details before surgery.

The drive towards this technology has come from a number of factors. Firstly, tech-savvy patients of all ages are expecting GPs to keep up with the information revolution. People want large public services to keep up with new developments and it makes sense that if you can do internet banking you should have similar access to your medical records.

Secondly, capitation funding means that doctors are able to look at different ways of communicating with their patients. In the ‘old days’ we got paid only for face to face consultations, but now bulk funding of your care gives GPs the flexibility to put some of that resource into remote access and telemedicine.

Thirdly, the portals are getting better. As with any new programmes, they were a bit clunky to start off with but they are now becoming more user-friendly all the time.

So check out www.patientportals.co.nz or ask your GP to “beam you up”!