Pioneering Scheme Delivers Patient Information in Hours
01/03/2007
Hospital doctors and GPs in Gloucestershire are taking advantage of speedy modern technology that will help them work better together.
Believed to be the first of its kind in England, the newly installed InfoFlex Information System from Chameleon Information Management Services Ltd (CIMS) collects relevant clinical data and produces what is known as a Discharge Summary. The Discharge Summary is then sent via Anglia Healthcare electronically from the hospital directly to the patient’s GP system as soon as the patient is discharged.
The report includes details of the treatment the patient received whilst in hospital, when they were discharged as well as details of any drugs that may have been prescribed or changed.
Until recently GPs may have waited days to receive information but thanks to the new initiative, a GP can be up to date in a matter of hours.
“For a long time we’ve wanted to improve the way we communicate with GPs,” explained Consultant Paediatrician Dr Miles Wagstaff who was involved in the implementation of the new software. “At the moment, hospital doctors do not always tell GPs promptly when their patient is discharged unless there are special circumstances. This sometimes means the transition of care isn’t as smooth as we would like it to be.
“We’ve worked with GPs on this new software and believe it will make a real difference to patient care.”
For the new system to work it also had to be compatible with the different software systems used by doctors in Gloucestershire – and for two-thirds of them this meant systems developed by Leeds-based company EMIS.
EMIS developed a module to enable the discharge summaries to be recognised by the communications element of its GP software systems.
Sean Riddell, EMIS healthcare managing director, said: “This is a classic example of interoperability – that is where software which has been developed by different parties can work together and communicate with each other. This is vital if information technology is to work in the health service.
“The module we have developed enables these discharge summaries from the Trust to be understood and accepted by the doctors’ own system and we’re delighted to have played a part in this important project.”
Gloucestershire GP, Charles Buckley added, “Although we have very good relationships with hospital doctors, finding out when our patient was discharged and with what drugs can be time consuming. Improving our communication channels can only be a good thing and it will be the patient that feels the real benefit.”
The new discharge summaries system is currently in use in hospital departments and will be used throughout Cheltenham General and Gloucestershire Royal Hospitals by March 2007.
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