FormStream: less paperwork, more patient care

Paper forms, as well as perpetuating a reliance on outdated admin, directly contribute to burnout in the healthcare sector.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

No one can snap their fingers and ‘fix’ the NHS. But, in recent years, there have been a number of steps in the right direction - most notably, the adoption of digital tools such as document workflow solutions and web based forms in the NHS.

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, making reducing document turnaround time in healthcare incredibly difficult without digital intervention.

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 and delays - the patient having to be contacted so that the errors can be rectified for instance.

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. This is where modern document workflow solutions truly make a measurable difference in both accuracy and efficiency.

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 save hour upon hour every single work week. Many NHS organisations are already seeing the impact of web based forms in the NHS, particularly when it comes to improving operational efficiency.

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.

For those looking for real-world results, it’s worth exploring how NHS Ayrshire & Arran transformed document turnaround, demonstrating the tangible impact that digital forms and workflow improvements can have across a healthcare team.

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 significantly support reducing document turnaround time in healthcare.

Ultimately, adopting smarter document workflow solutions and embracing web based forms in the NHS is about more than efficiency - it’s about creating more time for what really matters: delivering better patient care.