Information Technology
National Cervical Screening Programme Instructions
Instructions on how to use software to identify patients suitable for the National Cervical Screening Programme, and how to generate letters to this target group.
- Health One
- Socrates
- Dynamic GP
The National General Practice Information Technology (GPIT) Project
The Health Service Executive and the Irish College of General Practitioners came together at the end of 2006 to restructure and reactivate the National General Practice Information Technology (GPIT) Group. There are two parts to the group, an educational section headed by Dr Brian Meade with 10 GPIT facilitators around the country, and a projects section with Dr Brian O'Mahony as project manager.
Education
The GPIT computer network has been re-formed with Dr Brian Meade taking the reins as National Co-ordinator and six new facilitators joining to provide support, training and advice to GPs with Information Communication Technology issues. The current list of GPIT facilitators is as follows:
| HSE Dublin / Mid Leinster Dr Donal Buckley Dr Fergus McKeagney |
HSE Dublin / North East Dr Martin White Dr Anne Lynott |
| HSE Southern Area Dr John Cox Dr Frank Hill Dr Kieran Murphy |
HSE Western Area Dr Jack MacCarthy Dr Barry O'Donovan Dr John Sweeney |
Most of the current team of tutors have worked in this capacity before and have a proven track record of providing much needed help to practices about to get started or hoping to make progress along to the road to the development of a fully computerised practice.
The focus of the new GPIT training programme will be on practice based support. Each tutor will focus on a small number of practices over a six month time period and will attempt to develop and increase the role of information technology in their practices. Practices interested in availing of the service should contact Dr Brian Meade at brian.meade@icgp.ie or phone Niamh Killeen on 01 6763705.
Projects
The projects section is headed up by Dr Brian O'Mahony and includes the following activities:
Project Tasks During past 12 Months
- Certification of GP Practice Software Management Systems.
- Working with Healthlink and the National Cancer Control Programme on electronic cancer referrals from GP practice software systems.
- Working with the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) on a GP Messaging Standard, available at http://www.hiqa.ie.
- Communicating the needs of GPs and primary care to developers of information systems throughout the health services.
- Promoting interoperability and health informatics standards in the health services.
- Writing monthly IT questions and answers for Forum, the Journal of the Irish College of General Practitioners, available at http://www.gpit.ie/faq.
Dr O'Mahony is keen to hear from individuals and groups who wish to input into the certification process or any of the project activities of the GPIT Group. Please contact Niamh Killeen of the ICGP with comments and queries, email niamh.killeen@icgp.ie or phone 01 6763705.