Trust’s paperless ambition extends to the ED

Lead nurse Lynn Thompson with a mobile clinical tablet which enables staff to view and update patient data anywhere in the department.

Russells Hall Hospital, part of The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, has transformed its emergency department from paper to fully electronic, working with Siemens to develop its clinical information system Soarian Clinicals to meet the needs of the department.

The trust redesigned its entire ED care processes to utilise Soarian Clinicals using lean methodology.  The paperless process enables improved patient tracking, quicker electronic referrals and test ordering for radiology and pathology, plus electronic documentation and communication within the ED team.

“The installation marks a significant shift for the department, as staff move away from using pen and paper to a digital solution,” said consultant emergency physician and medical head of service Dr Rajan Paw.  “We are already starting to benefit from efficiencies since going live with the system, especially with regards to better patient tracking, the retrieval of information such as e-referrals and the ability to order online radiology and pathology tests.”

See the full report on page 18 of the April 2012 issue of RAD Magazine.