Technology
at any given time, requiring valuable real estate for storage and posing security concerns. Managing such records is expensive, and the lack of information sharing between care providers further complicates the situation. Recently, it was reported the NHS spent
more than £1 billion on storing medical records in England over the past five years.2
This is a
significant drain on NHS resources that could be better spent on patient care and improving healthcare services. At the heart of this issue is aligning all disparate information, starting with the current NHS England procurement for the new Federated Data Platform (FDP) acting as the new spine across the NHS. The current drive is for each Trust to deploy an EPR by 2025, but one key missing element is the successful management of legacy patient records. While EPRs exist to enhance care quality, safety and the patient experience, this alone will not address the £1 billion paper problem. EPRs typically only deal with structured information, from the point of implementation, onwards. Therefore, it’s best to think of an EPR as the active day-forward health record for each patient. An EPR stems the tide of paper produced
during clinical interactions, by allowing clinicians to enter notes directly into the system, instead of writing on paper. But this doesn’t eradicate the need for patient history, which is inherently paper-based. In search of a system that solves the
historical element of patient record data, Trusts are turning to electronic document management systems (EDMS). This technology is a digital library for vast amounts of patient- related data and images, enabling the scanning, indexing, and archiving of physical records. It facilitates the aggregation of ‘born digital’ documents, usually siloed in disparate clinical systems, into a centralised repository. The two technologies – EPR and EDMS –
are complementary, with an EPR functioning effectively only when an EDMS is in place. Therefore, an EDMS is a critical platform, offering a cohesive view of the entire patient record. Leveraging an EDMS alone or in conjunction
with EPRs can unlock back-office efficiencies by converting physical, unstructured, and legacy
records from various sources into digital, organised, searchable, and shareable content. This streamlines the handling of diverse data, ensuring efficiency and ease in navigating a growing repository of patient records. This not only results in substantial cost
savings but also optimises the allocation of energy and human resources previously dedicated to maintaining paper record libraries. By doing so, staff members are afforded the opportunity to redirect their focus towards other high-priority tasks or transition into alternative roles within the hospital, thereby enhancing overall operational effectiveness.
Optimising clinical workflow Interoperability is another pressing challenge. This is a vital component for seamless information flow across healthcare departments and providers. The current system, constrained by physical records and siloed clinical systems, hinders proactive healthcare – meaning clinicians spend more time searching for information, rather than focusing on the patient in front of them and advising the most effective course of treatment. While the promise of integrated care systems
(ICS) is welcomed, the journey to realisation faces substantial challenges, particularly in the convergence of EPR systems. The lack of consistency among EPR vendors across regions and diverse requirements of care settings complicate achieving this convergence, exacerbated by budget constraints.
It’s imperative for NHS Trusts and the government to genuinely understand the challenges unique to the healthcare sector and avoid spending more investment, time and resources on implementing technology that solves only part of the problem.
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This presents profound challenges for
clinicians, impeding their ability to provide optimal patient care. Without a seamless flow of patient data across care settings, clinicians often find themselves without a comprehensive view of a patient’s medical history at crucial moments. This fragmentation can lead to delayed or incomplete diagnoses, compromised treatment decisions, and an overall hindrance to the delivery of efficient and well-informed healthcare. Addressing interoperability issues is
paramount to ensuring doctors have timely access to the entirety of a patient’s medical history, empowering them to make informed decisions and deliver the highest quality of care. This is where an EDMS can drive significant
clinical efficiencies. An EDMS seamlessly integrates with various clinical systems, facilitating a unified patient record accessible at the point of care. This transformation enhances the patient experience, shifting it from frustration to seamlessness, and ensuring clinicians can access real-time patient information from anywhere.
Implementing an EDMS brings substantial
clinical benefits by swiftly advancing hospitals’ digital maturity, thereby mitigating wait times and addressing appointment backlogs. Serving as a connected platform within ICS, an EDMS breaks down digital silos, optimising technology infrastructure and enhancing efficiency in EPR utilisation. This exceeds mere digital archiving; it presents a comprehensive “view of patient history” at the point of care. Moreover, this digital transformation frees up valuable hospital real estate, enabling broader and more effective use of facilities. At the same time, the theme of personalisation emerges as a core aspect of this transformation, where technology tailors healthcare to individual needs and ensures the patient’s voice is not lost amid growing populations and heightened service demands. The UK healthcare system is embarking upon a comprehensive IT overhaul to ensure secure
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