NHSmail speeds up ultrasound referral and reporting
The small seaside town of Aldeburgh on the Suffolk coast may be an unlikely location for groundbreaking improvements in patient care. But the local Cottage Hospital is hosting a new diagnostic venture that is revolutionising the service that patients and local GPs receive.
Key to this is how web-based appointments, free text message reminders and instantaneous secure emailed reports are being used to improve the provision of community ultrasound services.
In the past, if a GP wanted to request an ultrasound, they would have to write to the local District General Hospital via a referral management centre. An appointment clerk would then assign an appointment to the patient and they would then be put on the list for the ultrasonographer. Assuming this was convenient, the patient would turn up and have the investigation done. Next the report was dictated before being typed out over the following days in the hospital Radiology department. It would then need to be checked by the ultrasonographer before being sent out back to the requesting GP Practice. Finally, the GP would see the result on his or her computer once it had been scanned onto the patient record. In all, it was a very laborious and time-consuming process.
The new service cuts out all these delays by using simple, secure and well-established technology. First, instead of writing for an appointment with the ultrasonographer, the requesting GP is able to view the available appointment times on a diary page within NHSmail. The appointment is then booked electronically by the Saxmundham Health general practice, which manages the workflow in conjunction with the ultrasonographer and the Acute Trust.
Using NHSmail’s free SMS messaging service, a text message is sent to the patient reminding them of the appointment and whether they need a full bladder.
When the patient has had the scan, the ultrasonographer dictates the report directly into the computer using voice recognition software.
“It is therefore verified instantly and emailed to the requesting GP while the jelly is still wet on the patient’s tummy!” said one of those involved in the project. “This service is so simple and yet so good for patients.”
It is also an example of how robust and secure IT services are being used intelligently to improve patient care and save precious time and resources within the NHS.
