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20 Chapter 1 Introduction

MHC-PMS MHC-PMS MHC-PMS
Local Local Local

MHC-PMS Server

Figure 1.6 The Patient Database
organization of
the MHC-PMS

The system must therefore be designed and implemented to ensure that the sys-
tem always meets these requirements. More detailed requirements and discussions
of how to ensure that the system is safe are discussed in later chapters.

1.3.2 A patient information system for mental health care
A patient information system to support mental health care is a medical informa-
tion system that maintains information about patients suffering from mental
health problems and the treatments that they have received. Most mental health
patients do not require dedicated hospital treatment but need to attend specialist
clinics regularly where they can meet a doctor who has detailed knowledge of
their problems. To make it easier for patients to attend, these clinics are not just
run in hospitals. They may also be held in local medical practices or community
centers.
The MHC-PMS (Mental Health Care-Patient Management System) is an informa-
tion system that is intended for use in clinics. It makes use of a centralized database of
patient information but has also been designed to run on a PC, so that it may be accessed
and used from sites that do not have secure network connectivity. When the local sys-
tems have secure network access, they use patient information in the database but they
can download and use local copies of patient records when they are disconnected. The
system is not a complete medical records system so does not maintain information
about other medical conditions. However, it may interact and exchange data with other
clinical information systems. Figure 1.6 illustrates the organization of the MHC-PMS.
The MHC-PMS has two overall goals:

1. To generate management information that allows health service managers to
assess performance against local and government targets.
2. To provide medical staff with timely information to support the treatment of
patients.