National Health Service (NHS) Lothian in Scotland has signed a lb6.8 million contract for a new computer system that will improve patient care, benefit staff and usher in a new era in health service Information Management & Technology (IM&T).
The five-year contract between NHS Lothian and InterSystems partner TrakHealth is for an integrated Web-based IM&T system to be phased into NHS Lothian`s acute hospitals between now and the end of the first quarter in 2008. Primary and community-based sites, such as Leith Community Treatment Centre, will also benefit from the new system.
TrakHealth will replace ageing, separate and largely incompatible systems currently in place in University Hospitals Division (UHD) hospitals by a single system. Its implementation will help achieve major benefits for patients and staff, including:
* Increased clinical staff time spent on direct patient care and less time chasing paper-based investigation results;
* More accessible radiology and laboratory test results;
* Minimise the number of times patients and carers are asked to provide the same information;
* Fewer repeat radiology examinations and laboratory tests due to delayed access to paper records;
* Improved access to key patient information for clinical staff;
* Improved communication of patient information across NHS Lothian (including GPs);
* Improved processing of laboratory and radiology investigation requests;
* Improved bed management, ensuring optimal patient care; and
* Integration with PACS (the digital storage and retrieval of x-ray images), facilitating the extended rollout of PACS and electronic communication of radiology images.
"All these benefits support our drive to develop further comprehensive and high-quality patient-centred care," says David Bolton, UHD`s chief operating officer.
"I`m delighted to be signing this contract with TrakHealth. This new system is a powerful and comprehensive IM&T tool that will help to further improve the planning and delivery of patient-focused healthcare services.
"It gives high quality IM&T support to all clinicians and staff involved in patient care by enabling swift access to patient information, with the ability to electronically share this information across NHS Lothian. TrakHealth will free busy clinicians and reception staff from frustrating paper chases, reduce delays and make sure information is available where and when medical staff need it."
Work on the TrakHealth system has developed in partnership with clinicians and other staff across NHS Lothian. The system will be used by more than 5 000 staff, whose training on the new system is scheduled to start this autumn.
"I`m delighted that we are now at the stage of beginning to implement a hospital-based information system to meet the needs of patients and staff," says Dr Derek Bell, UHD`s associate medical director and chair of the IT Project Implementation Board. "This will not only allow us to manage information more efficiently and quickly, but will enable us to use information to further improve patient care. I have no doubt this is a major step forward for Lothian and I`m privileged to be part of it."
A further benefit of the TrakHealth system is its ability to integrate with PACS (a system that enables the digital storage and retrieval of x-ray images, dispensing with old x-ray films). PACS is already used in St John`s Hospital and in primary care services and NHS Lothian is keen to extend its implementation. At present the University Hospitals Division has three entirely separate radiology systems that cannot support PACS integration.
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