Two maternity hospitals to move to electronic health records

Cork University Maternity Hospital was the pilot site for what was expected to be a national digital project for the 19 maternity units. Cork went live in 2016 but so far only three others have joined

Cork University Maternity Hospital piloted the system.

University Maternity Hospital Limerick is one of two maternity hospitals set to move to electronic health records in 2025, the HSE’s chief clinical information officer said.

The slow pace of digital reform in the HSE was highlighted last year in a report by the OECD which criticised a low ability to share health-data around the national system.

Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH) was the pilot site for what was expected to be a national digital project for the 19 maternity units. 

Cork went live in 2016 but so far only three others have joined.

However, Professor Richard Greene, also an obstetrician at CUMH, said the project is gathering pace again following setbacks including the 2021 cyberattack on the HSE.

The Maternal and Newborn Clinical Management System (MN-CMS) allows health workers to share and view data on their patients.

“The cyberattack had a significant effect, it [MN-CMS] needed to be moved onto a cloud platform,” he said.

“We are back on a very stable footing now, the software has been updated. 

"It’s moving on and in the next year, early 2025, it will be going into the other two big maternity hospitals in the country which are the Coombe Hospital and University Maternity Hospital Limerick.” 

However, this is not accessible to patients yet.

“At the moment patients are in a slightly worse place, in that previously they would have carried their own chart, and now they carry a small chart with some documentation but they probably don’t have access to the full information of that pregnancy,” he said.

“We actually recognised very early on that this was going to be a problem. 

"So in fact, one of the things that’s been worked on at the moment is to start to provide women access to a patient app for their maternity care.”

University Maternity Hospital Limerick said plans are under way to appoint a project manager by the end of March 2024.

“Digital records ensure better accuracy and accessibility of medical information, reducing the risk of errors in diagnoses and treatment plans,” a spokesman said.

“Communication between patients and staff improves as electronic records allow for easier sharing of information and quicker response times to inquiries.” 

They also expect women to ultimately have access, saying this “empowers individuals to take a more active role in their healthcare, promoting better engagement and understanding of their medical history and conditions.”