"ePA coaches" to help senior citizens use electronic patient files
The electronic patient file is intended to provide older people with a better overview of their diagnoses. However, many need help using it.
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The electronic patient record (elektronische Patientenakte, ePA) should also provide older people with a better overview of their findings, diagnoses and prescribed medication. If you want to see what data is stored in the ePA, you need your health insurance provider's app. However, this can be very complicated at times, and the ePA often does not work smoothly. In Rhineland-Palatinate (RLP), specially trained "ePA coaches" are to help in the future. The state media authority there has set itself this goal.
According to the RLP State Media Authority, the ePA coaches are to help senior citizens set up and use the ePA app. They are supported by advisors from the consumer advice centers in Rhineland-Palatinate and volunteer digital ambassadors, who are "brought up to speed on the basic and current state of ePA by experts from BKK Pfalz so that they can pass on this knowledge in their everyday volunteer work", explains Rico MaaĂźberg, project manager of the "ePA coaches Rhineland-Palatinate".
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The aim is not only to provide information about the benefits, but also to point out the hurdles. According to dpa, around 100 digital ambassadors have already registered for the voluntary additional qualification. According to the Minister for Social Affairs and Digitalization, a "multi-professional advisory network" is to be set up in the long term, as reported by dpa.
There are also projects in other federal states that aim to support older people – for example the "DigitalPakt Alter". "However, Rhineland-Palatinate is a pioneer in terms of coverage with over 700 volunteers across the state," says Maaßberg. However, according to him, there are no initiatives comparable to the ePA coaches in Germany to date. Regarding the ePA, Rhineland-Palatinate could therefore become a pioneer.
The project is being funded with 250,000 euros for two years by the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Transformation and Digitization RLP and the Ministry of Science and Health RLP.
(mack)
