What
is ePit and how does it work?
- As part of the the E-Medisafe
trial, some participants will be using a system called ePit to exchange secure
information. The benefit of ePit is that the data will appear in the Electronic
Health Record system transparently, using a process that has been established
for some years for Pathology and Imaging reports.
- ePit is a tool designed to enable
two health professionals to communicate with each other as they share the
care of a patient.
- ePit simplifies the task of getting
a patient care report from a wordprocessor in one clinic, into an electronic
health record in another clinic ePit, using normal internet email for speed
and economy and strong public key encryption to protect patient privacy.
- At the sending end ePit requires
minimal operator input .(The operator must only identify the recipient
and the patient and paste the report text). At the receiving end ePit
requires NO operator activity. (The reports will appear in the Electronic
Health Record system transparently, using a process that has been established
for some years for Pathology and Imaging reports.)
- Since Hippocrates it has been
the health professionals responsibility to make sure essential information
is passed on in the interests of the patient, with due care for the patients
privacy and consent. Checking a fax number before faxing an ECG to a specialist
colleague illustrates this. Faxing reports has obvious potential for misadventure,
but is widely accepted so long as it is done with professionalism.
- ePit makes use of this "Line
of Trust" established between two health professionals, and is thus able
to bypass the complexity and costs of systems requiring third party certification.
- ePit stands for Electronic, Encapsulated,
Encrypted, Patient, Information, Transfer