A firm operating in the field of digital security announced on 11 February 2010 that Bulgaria has started deploying smart cards to secure access to personal health records for the country's military personnel and their families.

This private firm along with a local company specialised in eHealth projects which also acts as a prime contractor for the electronic health record system - commissioned by the Military Medical Academy - have delivered double-slot readers and smart cards.

The smart card complies with the European standards of the Identification Authentication Signature (IAS) ensuring the highest level of security for accessing personal electronic health records. The healthcare professionals are able to insert their own card into the reader and type in their PIN code in order to view or modify a medical file, which is stored on a highly secure IT infrastructure. The patients can also view their personal data online, using the smart card reader and a card to authenticate themselves. This innovative system optimises medical treatments, simplifies and modernises procedures and increases security for accessing health information.

The personal electronic health record is a complete electronic archive of the patient's medical history. It stores all existing medical documentation, including laboratory tests and results, X-ray pictures, all visual tests, electronic prescriptions, etc. It also contains the patient's blood group, allergies and genetic predisposition to diseases, health check-ups, surgical interventions and all useful medical information.

The personal electronic health record enables healthcare professionals to immediately access patients' medical data and therefore, make more accurate decisions, especially in emergency situations, for which there is a special section in the electronic health record, containing the most important information.

Further information:

• Original news article - eHealthNews.eu Portal