Health providers in New Zealand are being urged to think again about how they ensure emergency back-up of patient information.
The message came from the National Health Board at a meeting at Auckland on Wednesday on the future of health care.
The board has a key role in the planning and delivery of health and was asked at the conference about lessons from the Christchurch earthquakes.
The board's national director, Chai Chuah, replied that family doctors, pharmacists and others need to put more thought into better back-up to ensure patient records remain accessible in such emergencies.
Mr Chuah says the information is often held electronically and backed up on another server, but it may be under the doctor's desk or on the same site.
He also told delegates more clinicians are needed in future in the national health emergency command centre to finetune decisions.
