INTEGRATION OF ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS (EHRS) INTO PUBLIC HEALTH SURVEILLANCE SYSTEMS: ASSESSING HEALTHCARE FACILITY READINESS FOR INTEROPERABILITY AND REAL-TIME DISEASE MONITORING

Abstract

Strong surveillance of the health conditions of the population is based on timely, precise, and interconnected data systems, but in Pakistan, much healthcare remains based on fragmented and largely paper-based reporting systems that restrict early outbreak detection and undermine the response capacity. With the rise of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) as a clinical practice tool, there is an opportunity to enhance the surveillance of the country by providing organized, real-time patient information. Nevertheless, it is not clear how ready healthcare facilities are to incorporate EHR data into the surveillance systems of the public health. This evaluation will determine the level of preparedness at the facility level in terms of technical infrastructure, interoperability standards, data governing practices, compatibility of systems, and staff capacity. Based on a mixed-method survey-based study of the facilities with stakeholder interviews, the results reveal that even though the use of EHR is slowly growing especially in tertiary and private hospitals, there are still notable gaps in the areas of interoperability, the use of standardized coding policies, secure data flow, and the skills of the workforce. In general, the findings indicate that Pakistan is beginning to establish a platform of digital health development that, nevertheless, needs national mobilization, such as enhanced governance systems, capacity development, and uniform integration systems, to capitalize on EHR data to achieve real-time, responsive, public health surveillance.