Who can access medical records on the NEHR?
Access to the NEHR has to be authorised by MOH and is granted primarily to healthcare professionals who are involved in direct patient care such as doctors. In a GP clinic setting, clinic assistants would not be provisioned with an account, as they do not provide direct patient care. All clinicians and healthcare professionals accessing the NEHR are also bound by law (e.g. Computer Misuse Act) and professional ethics to keep patient health record strictly confidential.
Employers, insurers and patients are not granted with NEHR access.
Will I get to see who accessed my records in the NEHR?
Yes, you will be able to see the access history via HealthHub (under the NEHR Access History section) from 28 Nov 2021. The names of the private healthcare institutions and public healthcare clusters that have accessed your records in the NEHR will be listed in reverse-chronological manner for the past one year, with access history starting from 28 Nov 2021.
If you are using HealthHub application, you may also opt for notification service so that you will be notified when accesses are made.
What will my health record in the NEHR be used for?
The NEHR is intended primarily for the provision of patient care, and provides continuity of care, especially when the patients move between institutions within the healthcare ecosystem. It provides a record of the patient’s journey with each healthcare encounter, viewable across the care continuum (e.g. polyclinics, hospitals, specialist clinics, GP) to support seamless transition of care. This will enable healthcare providers to provide more accurate diagnosis and better treatment.
The NEHR may not be used by doctors when writing medical reports for pre-employment medical screening and insurance claims. Doctors will have to rely on their own patient notes.
Data with the identities anonymised can be used for research and population insights purposes. Additionally, NEHR data can be used for purposes of public health; fulfilment of public functions and where legislatively required. These accesses have to be approved by MOH.