Dear HIFA friends, I congratulate Amelia Taylor for the study on HP (health passport) similar to PHB (personal health booklet) that is used in Tanzania.
Does it work? Yes it does providing it is accurately and systematically adopted.
Points of interest are as follows:
1) it must record all details of the medical contact, i.e date, h/o,c/o,o/e,diagnose,therapy, recommendations,signature,rubber stamp, tel number. Political advocacy and supervision are needed, for doctors are reluctant to expose their working behaviour.
2) it must stay in the patient's hands, permanently, secretely. Wrong practice of private clinics to retain it to favour future consultations should be discouraged. Blood test or instrumental results should be enclosed in it.
3) it must be exhibited for any future medical contact, either private, public, specialistic consultation. Ideally it should be started at birth and kept until death.
The advantages of HP-PHB are many, the major one in my opinion is the enhancement of level of responsibility both for doctors and patients.
In regard of Medicine transparency is vital.
Doctor should drop the aura of magician and act according to rules-principles of Medicine. Honestly so.
Patients are the first responsible of their health/ill health, providing they they are thoroughly informed about it.
Digital records are also good, providing they are consigned to patient and not only kept in the computer. Patient will enclose them in the booklet.
Greetings from Dodoma
Massimo Serventi
Pediatrician
+255 787 56 75 17
HIFA profile: Massimo Serventi is a long-standing Pediatrician working in Africa since 1982. He has worked for several NGOs in 6 African/2 Asian countries. His interests include clinical and community pediatrics, adherence to clinical guidelines and school education as the major determinant of good health. massimoser20 AT gmail.com