Technology
described in the HSSIB report. Whiteboards and paper notes are a symptom that technology isn’t working. However, when technology is designed and implemented based on the needs of the clinician and patient first, with clinicians consulted and actively involved in the design of clinical workflows, the results are staggeringly different.
Improving the clinicians’ experience Clinicians in every section of the health sector are working as hard as they possibly can, many stretched to breaking point after the recent pandemic. With budget pressures and widespread staff shortages adding to an already challenging situation, there is even more imperative to make efficient and intelligent use of technology to improve the experience of clinicians and therefore patients. In addition, there is an urgent need to make our clinicians’ lives better if we are to stem the flow of highly qualified nurses and doctors leaving the profession.
As the NHS transitions to a more collaborative
way of working, through Integrated Care Boards, healthcare organisations have the opportunity to take a fresh look at how clinicians and health and social care staff interact with clinical systems. The adoption of digital identity technology
provides many benefits to the healthcare organisation, and the biggest win, by far is to massively improve the clinicians’ experience at the point of care. Simply put, digital identity empowers the right people with access to the right information at the right time in the right place.
By focusing on putting the clinician and their patient at the very centre of all development, technology providers challenge the old assumption that you must choose between
systems that are compliant, secure and protect patient privacy, and those that are easy to use, efficient and improve productivity. These ambitions are not mutually exclusive and, at Imprivata, we aim to balance ease of access with security and privacy. Recognising the complex dynamics of healthcare’s digital environment, we have designed a platform that improves care quality, reduces cyber security risks and puts privacy and patients first.
Digital identity – the new control plane Digital identity is the control plane through which all interactions within healthcare systems can be managed and secured. When deployed
Making digital identity a reality
Digital identity and IAM supports a whole ecosystem of data access solutions, with single sign-on, or tap-and-go, just the starting point. A paper published in the BMJ7
discussed eight
different innovative use cases where the existing digital IAM solution was used to provide new ways to help manage infection control, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Use cases included:
l Symptom-free attestation by clinicians at shift start.
l Detection of clinician exposure/contract tracing.
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l Reporting of clinician temperature checks. l Inpatient telehealth consultations in isolation units.
l Virtual visits between isolated patients and families.
l Touchless single sign-on authentication. l Secure access enabled for rapid expansion of personnel working remotely.
l Monitoring of temporary worker attendance.
As a result, clinical care, infection control and facility operations were improved using IAM solutions during COVID-19.
correctly it provides the optimal balance between user access, security and compliance while making the everyday lives of clinicians easier and more productive. Recent findings from KLAS research (a part
of the Arch Collaborative programme) show that the quality and functionality of the EPR IT solution (for example) is only one piece of the larger puzzle in delivering digital project success and satisfaction. There are many factors when undertaking a major IT project, such as the implementation of an EPR system, and it is the clinicians’ interaction with the system that dictates their user experience and therefore success.
Instant access to the patient information that
they need, at the point of care, without worrying about lengthy logins is priceless, and can save up to 40 minutes per shift – time that can be re-directed to patient care. This is an example of identity and access management (IAM) in practice. However, digital identity expands the IAM universe, providing all manner of solutions and benefits to clinicians, patients and the healthcare organisation. As clinicians move from department to ward
to clinic, their digital identity goes with them and provides access to all the different systems, in any location. When doctors assume new roles (e.g. medical student to foundation doctor and are on rotations or middle and senior grade physicians commencing new positions either within or across healthcare organisations),
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