The vast majority of people think healthcare workers should be able to access their records electronically.

A new Ipsos MRBI poll into the future of healthcare shows ICT is a priority, along with being respected by doctors.

It also shows a split in confidence in the health system – with slightly more people pessimistic about its future.

Brian O’Mahony, CEO of the Irish Haemophilia Society, says doctors need to have more electronic access to people’s records: “Look at this stage, you don’t go into a bank, you do it online, if you are flying you don’t print out your boarding pass, you do it online, you don’t queue up yet you go into a hospital, you go into an emergency department, you go into a n outpatient clinic, you queue up, I think a lot of this stuff can be done electronically.

“They need good electronic record systems, they need apps, the use of technology can be used massively beneficial for people’s interaction with the healthcare system.”