Apple on Wednesday announced that the Health Records feature within the Health app is now available for users in the UK and Canada to securely view and store their medical records right on their iPhone.
The Health app can now display full health records from healthcare institutions in the UK and Canada. Oxford University Hospitals in the UK and Women’s College Hospital in Canada are among the first healthcare institutions to make this feature available to their patients.
The feature, which has been available in the United States for some time, offers support from over 500 institutions and 11,000 care locations in the states. Previously, patients’ medical records were held in multiple locations, requiring patients to log in to each healthcare provider’s website to piece together their health information manually.
Health Records creates a direct connection between medical institutions and a patient’s iPhone, allowing users to see a central view of their allergies, conditions, immunizations, lab results, medications, procedures, and vitals across multiple institutions, and to be notified when their data is updated.
“We designed Health Records on iPhone to empower people to easily view their health records at any time, and we are thrilled to put this feature in the hands of customers in the UK and Canada,” said Apple’s vice president of Technology, Kevin Lynch. “We believe people should have access to their health information in the most private and secure way, and we have worked hand in hand with healthcare institutions and organizations to put privacy at the center of the patient experience.”
Health Records was designed to protect patients’ privacy at all times by utilizing a direct, encrypted connection between the user’s iPhone and the healthcare organization. In addition, all Health Records data is encrypted on-device and protected with the user’s iPhone passcode, Touch ID, or Face ID.
“Improving our services to patients while protecting their privacy and security is of paramount importance to us,” Professor Sir Jonathan Montgomery commented, chair of Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and professor of healthcare law at University College London. “This exciting development provides a more convenient option for patients to access their health records. Patients retain control over their own health information at all times.”
So far only the following institutions in the UK and Canada support the feature:
UK
- Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust – Oxford, UK
- Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust – Milton Keynes, UK
Canada
- Women’s College Hospital – Toronto, Ontario
- St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton – Hamilton, Ontario
- Mackenzie Health – Richmond Hill, Ontario
Apple expects more medical facilities to connect to Health Records and offer patient access in the coming months.
