eObservations

The new government 10-year plan for the NHS is striving to make one last big push to switch Trusts from analogue to digital in their entirety, with the goal being the ‘liberation’ of staff from time-consuming admin and a greater optimisation of workflows through modern healthcare solutions.  

This is already commonplace in most clinical settings. Many patients or visitors to hospitals will see doctors and nurses utilising tablet devices or smartphones during assessments and check-ups. These devices are typically running healthcare solutions; digital tools to facilitate healthcare delivery. eObservations are one of these applications utilised. 

Typically nursing staff will collect and store patient observations with these devices. Vitals include body temperature, pulse and heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation. All of the above provides data, and this information then leads to a National Early Warning System (NEWS2) score, which is used to judge how critical a patient is and how much attention they require from the hospital they are in.

Here’s why eObs is important:

1. Digital note taking and viewing of the recorded data is quicker than when on paper. This allows more frequent checks and updates.
2. By capturing observations digitally, clinicians don’t need to return to a station to re-key information, meaning they can remain with patients for longer.
3. The increased frequency of patient check-ins leads to greater accuracy of information and greater awareness about the patient’s status. Healthcare staff can respond much faster to negative changes,  and clinicians can be alerted based on set parameters about when a patient’s vitals mark them as at risk or in danger.
4. In the case of Access Rio Observations, data recorded via the solution feeds directly into the Rio EPR software, meaning greater security for patient data as clinicians need to access the centralised record less and less. 

The Access Group has been working with customers including Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust and Birmingham Community NHS Foundation Trust to understand what their problems and challenges are – be it the primary need to support note taking and data collection, or things like making the business case for adopting new solutions, tailoring the solutions to customer needs, or training staff to use new solutions.

We strive to include clinicians and healthcare professionals in our products, so we have reached out on many occasions with our suite of solutions to co-design and produce our software and to gauge where things could be improved.

The case study video with Oxleas below explains how Access gets involved and the partnership approach we take with development and implementation.

The clinical testimony above makes it quite clear that there are significant benefits from an eObs system.

1. Greater Patient Safety
   The provision of real time information has improved the accuracy of patient data and the associated NEWS2 scoring. This gives clinicians a better understanding of a patient’s needs, the risks involved with their health and allows for more timely intervention or better treatment decisions.
   
   
2. Holistic Records
   Many Trusts are utilising our eObs module alongside their Rio electronic patient records solutions, as the two synchronise  and improve the accuracy of said records.  This also means greater security for patient data as clinicians no longer need to re-key information in, with eObs directly feeding it into the Rio record.
   
   
3. Greater Efficiency
   Administrative work is a huge problem for clinical staff, but taking notes is vital to delivering appropriate and effective care. Introducing easy-to-use software solutions in the form of apps on tablets and smartphones is a way to speed up the recording process and helps deliver more time for face-to-face care.
   
   
4. Fewer Errors
   Easier input through eObs allows more time to check submissions for errors but also allows multiple clinicians to utilise the same patient notes and records and peer review recordings too – minimising errors and helping to deliver more accurate information for more appropriate clinical decisions.
   
   
5. Return on Investment
   Finances are a huge challenge for the NHS. By utilising eObs software, Trusts are able to drastically reduce their paper usage, as well as optimise clinical workflows allowing the delivery of more care and a greater engagement with said care.

The government wants to revolutionise healthcare in England, and it sees technology as the spine of this ambition. Here at The Access Group, we’re big believers in the power of healthcare solutions and the benefits that our software can bring to the NHS and its Trusts. The time-savings and workflow improvements delivered by the likes of Rio Observations   quickly add up and form a large benefit across months and years – fine margins that elevate good care to great, help cut waiting lists, and boost patient satisfaction.

Click the banner below to learn more about Access Rio Observations, and see if we aren’t a good fit for your Trust.