Individual Health Identifiers (I.H.Is) are set to be introduced in the near future.
I.H.Is are unique, non-transferable identifying numbers that will be distributed to everyone who uses health and social care services nationwide.
The scheme has been developed by the Health Information and Quality Authority to reduce mistakes made in the current system. The new scheme will be operated by the HSE, who will also be responsible for safeguarding patient information in the new system.
These new patient identifying numbers are aimed at reducing the current cases of incorrect medication distribution, incorrect vaccinations delivered and admitting incorrect patients for surgery. They will also aid in implementing electronic health records and an ePrescribing system.
Acting director of the HIQA Rachel Flynn has commented on the new system, stating that other countries already have schemes such as this implemented and that Ireland is lagging behind.
HSE Chief Information Officer Richard Corbridge has said that the HSE has already built the infrastructure needed to deliver the new system nationwide and that they hope to implement it within the next two years once the necessary legislation is in place and a patient privacy assessment has been published.
Minister for Health, Leo Varadker has praised the new system as it will be able to follow patients and staff as they move through the health service in a way it currently is unable to.
The new system will be piloted in a GP primary care centre, a hospice, and an electronic epilepsy patient record system to assess its viability on a nationwide scale.
The cost of implementing this system is not yet known.