Now it's doctors' turn to remember to take the tablet

Published on Friday 19 September 2008 09:51

IT is a routine that has been synonymous with hospital wards for decades.

But the era of taking patient notes and placing them at the foot of the bed could be coming to an end after the success of a pilot scheme at St John's Hospital.

The initiative involved seven handheld computers, known as Mobile Clinical Assistants, being given to doctors, nurses and pharmacists who then filed updates and facts on patients' conditions as they went about their daily checks.

The project has been so well received by staff and patients that NHS Lothian has ordered another 100 of the tablet PCs to be used in other hospitals, such as the ERI, the Western General and the Sick Kids.

Not only has it made related work quicker and easier, the board says, but it means handwritten notes do not then have to be put into a computer by someone else.

Health chiefs believe the devices bring all the usual benefits of technology, such as making filing easier and reducing time spent tracking down certain pieces of information.

Dr Charles Swainson, NHS Lothian's medical director, said: "By reducing the time that needs to be spent on administrative tasks, the Mobile Clinical Assistants allow clinicians to spend more time with patients.

"Instant access to medical notes has also speeded up the clinical decision-making process.

"We have been delighted at the success of the trial at St John's and we are planning to deploy the devices across other acute hospitals in NHS Lothian."

The trial, which began in May, has been hailed for cutting down the administrative workload on health staff.

It also means when consultants are at patients' bedsides they can have instant access to pertinent information and make quicker decisions on their care or treatment.

Storage space can be reduced as information will now be stored electronically.

However, the Scottish Patients' Association said the new system would be vulnerable to some problems, such as data loss, and would not address other concerns patients have with note-taking.

Director Dr Jean Turner said: "Anything that gives nurses more time to do their job is to be welcomed, but some patients will suspect this is a gimmick.

"Patients are still horrified about some of the things said about them in medical notes, particularly about their character, and this new system won't solve that problem.

"Another of their concerns is about data loss, so I hope this is trialled properly before it is rolled out and that patient response is taken into consideration as well."