FormStream: less paperwork, more patient care

Paper forms, as well as a reliance on outdated admin, directly contribute to burnout in the healthcare sector. This applies to not just administrative workers, but also clinicians. It can have a knock-on effect on every healthcare professional working in the NHS.

No one can click their fingers and ‘fix’ the NHS. But in recent years, there have been a number of steps in the right direction - most notably, digital forms.

FormStream, a platform developed by Voice Technologies in collaboration with the NHS, allows healthcare providers to transition from paper forms to e-forms. This not only massively reduces paperwork (and therefore reduces burnout), but also frees up more time for clinicians to focus on patient care.

In today’s blog, we’ll be breaking down just how crucial FormStream can be for professionals working in healthcare.

Why paper forms are causing burnout in the NHS

Most industries transitioned to digital admin processes years ago. Healthcare has fallen behind - but why exactly does paper admin lead to so much burnout?

The main reason is that it simply takes longer. Whereas with FormStream, the entire forms process is seamless, streamlined and uncomplicated, every aspect of paper admin is tedious, repetitive and prone to endless backlog. Even just the process of filing paper forms can be a needless time sink.

Another way in which paper forms can contribute to burnout is a higher error rate. It’s very common for patients using paper forms to make mistakes, miss important fields, or for their handwriting to be not entirely legible. This can cause all sorts of problems but, at the very least, the patient will need to be contacted so that the errors can be rectified. With e-forms, not only can you ensure that the form can only be submitted once every crucial field has been filled in, but you also never have to worry about handwriting.

The (other) benefits of digital forms for the healthcare sector

So, FormStream is faster than paper- but what are the other benefits?

• Less time spent on admin allows healthcare professionals to be more productive. If you do start using this platform, you might not notice much of a difference within the first day, but over time, you’ll likely save hour upon hour every single work week.
• E-forms also eliminate the costs of paper and printing - and across an entire healthcare team, those costs can be significant.
• You’re also likely to free up physical space. Without the need for storing more and more paper documents year after year, you’ll end up with more storage space in the long run.
• It also allows for a superior patient experience. No one really enjoys filling out an extensive paper form by hand; e-forms are simply quicker and less taxing for most people. 
• Finally: compliance. Regulations are inherently stringent when it comes to the NHS, especially in regards to data security. With FormStream, you can have peace of mind that all sensitive patient data is fully protected by encryption and access controls.

Conclusion (FormStream: less paperwork, more patient care)

With FormStream, healthcare professionals can transition from outdated paper forms to streamlined, straightforward e-forms. It’s a chance to reduce the risk of manual errors, eliminate the costs of paper and printing, tackle your piles of backlog, and improve the care journey for your patients.