SEXUAL HEALTH SCREENING
on, clinics are able to allocate the right resources, to the right patient, at the right time, increasing their output irrespective of fewer funds. In some clinics, Lilie is already providing a clinic prep service that removes the need for human intervention and avoids the need for a full face-to-face consultation. Here, patients submit personal data using touchscreens, ensuring more honest responses and reduced administration for clinical teams who receive
populated electronic patient records. At this point, the right member of staff can be assigned to the patient and testing can be carried out quickly as required. The time here is vital – the patient has gone through the consultation, testing and potentially treatment process quickly, yet has still received everything that’s required from the clinic. Barcodes are also produced for respective samples, with an automatic SMS sent direct to the patient’s phone with their results. Digital approaches, such as this, facilitate a fully-automated service that is able to serve far higher patient volumes in the same amount of time. From a patient point of view, delivering a coordinated end-to-end process means quickly alleviating any personal emotions and worries associated with contracting STIs, and also rapid treatment – if required. From
a clinic perspective, delivering appropriate test results and treatment quickly – plus having automated appointment reminders sent straight to patient phones – results in fewer Did Not Attends
(DNAs), limits wasted clinician time and reduces the likelihood of any onward spread that has a longer term impact on
resources.The result? Moving appointment to treatment timescales from two weeks to two hours in some circumstances.
Recognising enhanced routes to treatment – what does the future look like for sexual healthcare?
People care about their health – including their sexual health – now more than ever, so service delivery needs to keep in line with such social trends to ensure that seeking sexual health support doesn’t revert
back to its previous stigmas. Citizens have a moral obligation to protect their sexual health and the health sector has a duty to support that, regardless of the funding available or potential government intervention.
Irrespective of changing budgets and fluctuating STI cases, there is one fact that remains constant: sexual health screening needs to be taken directly to the patient. Given the target 15-25 age
demographic, gone are the days where traditional forms of clinic testing are sufficient. Clinics need to have the tools to be able to bring sexual health screening to the streets – and while there has been some progress on this including testing in
SEPTEMBER 2018
WWW.CLINICALSERVICESJOURNAL.COM I 59
We need to be seeing more and moremobile and postal testing to curb the rise in STIs.
nightclubs, on university campuses, in local pharmacies and on the high street – we need to be seeing more and more mobile and postal testing to curb the rise in STIs. Like many other sectors and industries, the ability to mobilise workforces and respond to changing public needs and expectations for effective service delivery is key.
But, in order to achieve this kind of 21st
century sexual health service, clinics must have the right technology in place to enhance routes to sexual health and enable them to access patient records, triage, order tests and administer medication at any time, from anywhere. We need to look at the areas and processes that we can change and make more efficient, rather than focusing on those that are static.
It is only by moving towards this more proactive, agile approach to tackling sexual health, that both clinics and patients alike will truly start to realise the rewards of prevention over cure.
CSJ
We are delighted to announce that a Low Temperature Sterilisation workshop will be held on Thursday 4th
Hotel, Paradise Circus, Paradise Place, Birmingham B3 3HJ, UK.
To register interest, please email us at
shawkin4@its.jnj.com with: Name |
Hospital | Email address | Mobile number Please note: places are first come first served
MAXIMISING PATIENT CARE AND EFFICIENCIES THROUGH MEDICAL DEVICE LOW TEMPERATURE STERILISATION
October 2018 at the Copthorne
NEVILLE FOWLER
Neville is responsible for the daily operations of a Sterile Services Department (SSD), spread across 2 sites, reprocessing approx 9 million instruments a year supplying over 50 theatres, with a workforce of 125.
WAYNE SPENCER
Wayne is an Authorising Engineer and independent consultant on decontamination and healthcare engineering issues. After joining the UK Department of Health in 2000, Wayne chaired their decontamination investment process.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80
