FormStream reduces NHS Ayrshire & Arran’s admin clerical support time by 20%
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“Working with Voice Technologies has been efficient and effective. The development of an electronic pre-op assessment has revolutionised our service.”
Fiona King, POA Manager, NHS Ayrshire & Arran
Background
More than 9,000 staff work in NHS Ayrshire & Arran’s hospitals, with two University hospitals at Ayr and Crosshouse (near Kilmarnock), Ayrshire Central Hospital in Irvine, and Biggart Hospital in Prestwick, and five community hospitals across the region.
Historically, pre-op assessments were carried out using a paper proforma. On completion of an assessment, the paper proforma was filed in case notes and had to be manually pulled for review – a labour intensive and inefficient process.
Correspondence with patients around changes to health also required the case notes to be manually pulled to allow updates. Any modifications to the proforma were also frequently labour intensive and costly.
With a planned moved to paper-lite working and the need for swift access to documentation, an alternative solution was required.
Having reviewed several companies and their digital solutions, NHS Ayrshire & Arran chose Voice Technologies to transform the paper document into an electronic form (e-form).
New FormStream pre-op assessment online e-form
Voice Technologies designed a new one-page reporting e-form which is accessed via FormStream, our web-based e-forms application. Developed by Voice Technologies in collaboration with the NHS, FormStream replaces the paper forms commonly used for information capture. Data entered into FormStream e-forms are saved, processed and uploaded to the relevant location in one move so it is shared instantly. No client install is required and data security is guaranteed.
NHS Ayrshire & Arran’s new, fully encrypted pre-op assessment e-form is populated during telephone, virtual and face-to-face consultations and shared instantly for review with members of the multidisciplinary team (MDT). Upon verification, the e-form is made available on Clinical Portal within the individual patient’s record, readily accessible for analysis and reporting.
The Board has reported that the e-form has led to the following benefits:
- Increased productivity – admin clerical support requirements reduced by 0.5 WTE as case notes no longer required to be pulled or filed. As a result, preparation for patient attendance now takes less time, allowing staff to provide wider support to the service. Anaesthetic review time has also been reduced
- Accurate documentation – auto population of dates / times / names has improved record keeping and legibility
- Ongoing patient interactions – the pre-op assessment team maintains contact with patients who are medically deferred while awaiting further investigations
- Remote review – MDT members can review notes of patients who are listed for surgery from any device and location.
Downloads
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FormStream reduces NHS Ayrshire & Arran’s admin clerical support time by 20%