What is the legal basis of the EPR?
The federal government is actively involved in implementing the eHealth Switzerland strategy, in particular through the drafting of the Federal Act on the Electronic Patient Record (EPRA).
The EPRA describes and defines the electronic patient record (EPR) as an instrument for patients, to:
- improve the quality of medical treatment,
- enhance treatment processes,
- improve patient safety,
- enhance the efficiency of the health system, and
- promote patients’ health literacy.
To this end, the EPRA governs organisational, technical and safety-related aspects:
- opening an EPR,
- access rights for healthcare professionals,
- access to medical documents in emergencies,
- how patients and healthcare professionals are identified in the EPR,
- the structure of ‘core communities’ and ‘communities’
- financial assistance from the Confederation.