A recent study published in the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health examined the impact of the National Child Health Information Platform (NCHIP) in New Zealand on improving equity in basic child healthcare. The NCHIP serves as a single longitudinal record of child demographic information, tracking milestones from birth to age six for children enrolled in Northland, Waitematā, and Auckland.
The study found that there was a significant increase in General Practitioner (GP) enrolment of children in communities covered by NCHIP between 2018 and 2021 compared to non-NCHIP areas. Additionally, there was less reduction in 8-month immunisation coverage of children during the recent pandemic in areas tracked by NCHIP. These findings indicate the population-level benefits, especially in terms of health equity, of integrating a child’s healthcare milestone information using systems like NCHIP.
In New Zealand, children are entitled to 30 child health milestone checks, including metabolic screening and immunisation, to monitor their healthy development from birth to age six. Previously, tracking these milestone checks was challenging as data sharing between providers was primarily relationship-based and organisations held health check data independently.
In 2020, the District Health Boards in New Zealand’s northern regions collaborated with Orion Health to implement the NCHIP, a cloud-based system that offers a comprehensive view of children’s milestone achievements and care provider relationships. Newborn children in New Zealand are automatically enrolled in NCHIP through local birth registration, ensuring that their healthcare milestones are monitored throughout their early years.