Q. If I wished to improve information technology in the practice in 2015, what should I concentrate on?

1. Review backups and security

Think of how much time you and your support staff spend adding information into your GP practice software system. Do you take two minutes per consultation? That's about an hour a day per GP. Think of how the practice would function if you had no power and the software system was not in action. Now think of how you would function if you have power, the software system is working, but you have no patient data. Your patient data is the lifeblood of your practice. It supports you and your patients, ensures you give high-quality care and provides the history of events in primary and secondary care. It constitutes an electronic patient record for each of your individual patients. And you need to treat it like gold bullion. It is priceless.

The main risks to your practice data are that something happens to the hard drive on the server or that you get hacked. There is a rule in IT that says that if digital data does not exist in two places it does not exist at all. You need to have both a local and an online backup of your patient data. You don't need to know how to do this, just like you don't need to know how to service your car or repair your plumbing. But you do need to ensure that someone with IT knowledge and skills reviews the data backup system in your practice and can assure you that all is well. The key benchmark is the ability to do a test restore of data.

In terms of hackers and viruses and data breaches, the main risks are you and your support staff. What online activity do you allow from the practice computers and network? Do you allow shopping, Facebook, personal email, photos, videos, downloads and YouTube? You shouldn't. Visit the
GPIT website at www.gpit.ie and view the Publications & Reports sections. Have a look at the GPIT Policy Document on acceptable usage of the internet and also the document 'No Data No Business'. Again, get an IT expert to review your information security and ensure your firewalls, antivirus software
and remote access software are up to date and secure.

2. Maximise the use of your practice software system

You spend a lot of money each year on your GP practice software system: hardware, software licences, drug files, broadband and support contacts. Are you using your GP software system to provide maximum benefit to your practice and your patients? Are there ways your system could be supporting more efficient ways of working for you and your support staff?

• Nominate someone in the practice to join the software user group
• Visit a local practice that is using the system well
• Arrange for you or your support staff to take the ICGP practice management course
• Ask for advice from your local GPIT advisor
• When you know where you are falling down, decide on your priorities and arrange a focused training day for GPs and support staff with your GP software vendor

3. Maximise your usage of Healthlink messages

Healthlink, the 'national message broker', provides a range of electronic messages to and from general practice. These include labs, radiology, out-of-hours co-op messages into practices and electronic referrals out of practices. Give Healthlink (www.healthlink.ie) a call and see if you are utilising all of their services for your particular location.

4. Start exploring Healthmail

Healthmail has been live since November 10, 2014. In the first four weeks over 600 GPs and practices were registered. We are now beginning to see some real world examples of how to use Healthmail in practice, for example:

• When a patient moves from one practice to another, the GP extracts their electronic patient record and sends it as an attached file by Healthmail to their new GP
• GPs or practice support staff use Healthmail to contact medical secretaries in the hospitals to obtain a result, communicate something to a consultant or get details of a patient appointment
• GPs are using Healthmail rather than faxes to get information into hospital services and specialists
• Where a referral has been made and additional information is available on the patient, an email to the consultant results in advice on interim treatment and an early appointment
• GPs in Donegal use Healthmail to send OPD referrals to a central referrals office in Letterkenny General Hospital
• Intra-GP referrals for minor surgery, dermatology and contraceptive implants
• GP communication with community nurses and physiotherapists about patients being cared for jointly by GPs and PCTs

Healthmail allows GPs to exchange patient identifiable clinical information with clinicians in primary and secondary care. GPs are issued with @healthmail.ie addresses and can exchange information securely with @hse.ie and @voluntaryhospital.ie addresses. For more information and to register, please go to www.healthmail.ie.