By KAZUYA GOTO/ Staff Writer
December 6, 2024 at 17:00 JST
A device to read "maina hokensho" cards (a My Number card merged with an insurance card) is set up in a Tokyo hospital. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
A system allowing hospitals that accept emergency patients access to their medical history will go into effect on Dec. 9.
Even if the patient is unconscious and does not give consent, a “maina hokensho” (My Number Card that doubles as a health insurance card) will enable medical personnel to view any medications the patient uses and any pre-existing medical conditions.
This could lead to improving the rates of lives saved and better quality of life after treatment.
In emergency settings, the inability to acquire information from unconscious patients has been a major barrier in choosing treatment options.
For example, an emergency patient who suddenly collapses due to a blocked blood vessel in their heart or brain may be at greater risk if blood tests or other tests are not performed prior to surgery.
If the patient takes blood thinners, they are more likely to bleed out and would require a neutralizing drug or other additional medication prior to surgery.
Medical professionals' responses will vary depending on what medication a patient is currently prescribed, so accurate information is vital.
The new system developed by the health ministry will allow medical professionals to view the last five years of a patient's medical history, prescription drugs, treatment and examinations. Electronic prescriptions from the past 100 days will also be accessible.
The system is set to be introduced to hospitals sequentially starting on Dec. 9, and it is expected to be in use in most hospitals with emergency centers by the end of fiscal 2024.
In the future, the system will allow hospitals to view such information without a maina hokensho as long as the patient’s name, date of birth, gender and address are known.
The Fire and Disaster Management Agency of the internal affairs ministry is also developing its own system that would allow emergency medical technicians and paramedics to see patient information aboard ambulances through a maina hokensho.
The agency plans to roll out this additional system at fire departments nationwide in fiscal 2025 and will ask family members who call 119 on behalf of a loved one to have the individual's maina hokensho ready.
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