Vietnam's Healthcare Sector Accelerates Digital Transformation with Electronic Medical Records

Vietnam's healthcare sector is accelerating the adoption of Electronic Medical Records (EMR) to drive digital transformation. An international symposium held in Ho Chi Minh City on July 16, titled "Digital Transformation in Healthcare and Building Smart Hospitals: International Experience and Implementation in Vietnam," highlighted the crucial role of EMRs. The event, co-organized by the Vietnam Medical Informatics Association, TPP Company (UK), and the "Sức khỏe & Đời sống" newspaper, also took place in Hanoi and Da Nang. Frank Hester OBE, Founder of TPP, described EMR as the "central nervous system" of modern healthcare. He explained that while patient health information was previously stored discretely in paper records, EMRs establish a centralized data system, enabling the management, updating, and utilization of medical information throughout the care process. For doctors, EMRs provide rapid access to patient history, test results, diagnoses, medications, and previous interventions, which is vital for making quick and accurate treatment decisions. For hospitals, EMRs reduce reliance on paper, standardize processes, improve management efficiency, optimize resources, and enhance care safety. Dr. Chris Bates, Research Director at TPP, emphasized that successful EMR implementation is not merely an IT project but hinges on the ability to transform professional processes, management methods, and inter-departmental coordination within the healthcare system. TPP's electronic health record platform, SystmOne, is widely used by the UK's National Health Service (NHS) and has been deployed in over 14,000 projects across numerous countries in Asia, the Middle East, and the Caribbean. Yeoh Hui-Chi, TPP's Regional Director for Asia-Pacific, noted that each country has unique healthcare systems, infrastructure, and needs, requiring DX processes to blend international experience with local realities. She added that technology only creates true value when it solves operational issues, enhances staff efficiency, and improves patient experience. Tran Tuan Linh, Editor-in-Chief of "Sức khỏe & Đời sống," stated that healthcare DX is not just about technology but a process of rebuilding the healthcare system to ensure patients receive safer, more effective, and smarter services. The journey from paper records to a smart medical data system is long and requires collaboration among regulatory bodies, healthcare facilities, technology experts, and international partners. Experts believe Vietnam has the opportunity to shorten its DX journey by learning from proven international models while adapting them to domestic healthcare specificities. Future efforts should focus on building a connected data ecosystem where EMRs support clinical decision-making, improve hospital management efficiency, and lay the foundation for advanced medical technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI).