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Content ArticleMedication is the main part of the therapeutic process for hospital patients and with stocks of up to 200 medications held by hospital settings, it is estimated to be the second-highest spending chapter of health budgets. Management of medication stocks, their prescription and administration to patients (better known as the “medication management pathway”) is an onerous activity for hospitals and healthcare professionals. Tasks in this pathway are largely manual and non-digitalised. Visibility of medicine stocks is low; medication data is unfindable and low digitalisation of the pathway makes it highly prone for the occurrence of medication errors. Current rates of digitalisation combined with the high rates of manual activities undermines patients and healthcare professionals’ wellbeing and hospital systems resilience. For medication errors alone, the impact from the current low levels of digitalisation in hospitals costs the OECD group $54 billion and 3 million avoidable hospital days. With the advent of the European Medicine’s Agency new European Shortages Monitoring Platform (ESMP) which will manage medication shortages and the European Health Data space for cross border patient care, current levels of Digitalisation of Hospitals Medication management pathways will reduce the reliability and success of these new initiatives to respond effectively to future health care crises. It is therefore crucial that the European Union invests in the Digitalisation of Hospitals Medication management pathways for patient safety, healthcare professionals’ wellbeing and for hospital resilience.
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Content ArticleIn this HSJ article, Gemma Dakin and George Croft from the Health Innovation Network share their reflections on the HSJ Patient Safety Congress. They highlight key themes that emerged including the need to listen to patients, service users, and carers stories, and encourage their involvement to bring about a cultural change. They argue that humanity will be central to making progress in quality improvement and patient safety.
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Content ArticleIn 2021, cybersecurity attacks on healthcare providers in the US reached an all-time high, with one study indicating that more than 45 million people were affected by these attacks in 2021 – a 32% increase on 2020. This report published by the Office of Senator Mark R Warner outlines the risk to patient safety posed by cyberattacks and proposes ways to improve federal leadership, enhance healthcare providers' preparedness for cyber emergencies and establish minimum cyber hygiene practices for healthcare organisations.
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Content ArticleThere is a huge challenge to improve technology adoption and readiness across the NHS. This article in HSJ looks at a partnership between tech services company Agyle and Dorset County Hospital (DCH) which aimed to develop a digital patient record strategy which places user experience at the heart of its approach. DCH's objective was for its staff to access a decreasing number of systems, designed around clinical processes, with data flowing seamlessly between those systems. The article looks at how Agyle and DCH worked together to achieve improved clinical safety, interoperability, cost-effectiveness and future-proofing through their strategy.
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Content ArticlePatient safety is vital to well-functioning health systems. A key component is safe prescribing, particularly in primary care where most medications are prescribed. Previous research has demonstrated that the number of patients exposed to potentially hazardous prescribing can be reduced by interrogating the electronic health record (EHR) database of general practices and providing feedback to general practitioners (GPs) in a pharmacist-led intervention. This study aimed to develop and roll out an online dashboard application that delivers this audit and feedback intervention in a continuous fashion.
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News ArticleA new report published by the NHS AI Lab and Health Education England (HEE) has advocated for training and education for providers in how they deliver and develop AI guidance for staff. The report, entitled ‘Developing healthcare workers’ confidence in AI (Part 2)’, is the second of two reports in relation to this research and follows the 2019 Topol Review recommendation to develop a healthcare workforce “able and willing” to use AI and robotics. It is also part of HEE’s Digital, AI and Robotics Technologies in Education (DART-ED) programme, which aims to understand the impact of advances of these technologies on the workforce’s education and training requirements. In the previous report, the AI Lab and HEE found that many clinicians and staff were unaccustomed to the use of AI technologies, and without the suitable training patients would not be able to experience and share the advantages. The new report has set out recommendations for education and training providers in England to support them in planning, resourcing, developing and delivering new training packages in this area. It notes that specialist training will also be required depending on roles and responsibilities such as involvement in implementation, procurement or using AI in clinical practice. Brhmie Balaram, Head of AI Research and Ethics at the NHS AI Lab, added: “This important new research will support those organisations that train our health and care workers to develop their curriculums to ensure staff of the future receive the training in AI they will need. This project is only one in a series at the NHS AI Lab to help ensure the workforce and local NHS organisations are ready for the further spread of AI technologies that have been found to be safe, ethical and effective.” Read full story Source: Health Tech Newspaper, 25 October 2022
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News ArticleGeneral practices should delay rolling out the accelerated citizens’ access programme, due to go live on 1 November, if they have concerns over safety, the BMA has said. In guidance published on 25 October the BMA’s General Practitioners Committee said that while many practices would be able to implement the scheme before the deadline some would need more time to prepare, to ensure that they can roll it out in line with the Data Protection Act and safeguarding measures. The access scheme, led by NHS England, will automatically give patients the ability to see any new entries to their GP medical record through the NHS App. As part of safeguarding practices it will require GPs to review each record to identify any safety concerns related to providing patient access, such as in cases of domestic violence or coercive relationships. Where there are safeguarding concerns, practices can prevent patients from having automatic access by adding a specific SNOMED code to the patient’s record before 1 November 2022. David Wrigley, deputy chair of the BMA’s GP Committee for England, said, “We have a duty of care to speak up when patient safety is at risk, which is why we encourage practices even slightly unsure about whether they can deliver this programme before the start of November, to refer to our guidance. Our patients are at the heart of what we do, and we will always act in their best interests.” Read full story Source: BMJ, 26 October 2022
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News Article
Digital mental health tools to be regulated
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Recent years has seen a large, and rapid, growth in the availability of digital mental health tools. Do an online search for 'NHS Mental Health Apps' and an abundance of options will appear. These online tools can be helpful for people experiencing mental health problems, however, the Medicines Health and Regulatory products Agency (MHRA) said, they "present regulatory challenges" - such as clarity around whether they are medical devices and, if so, which risk classification they fall under. "Digital mental health tools offer millions of people vital support and guidance to explore and help manage their mental health issues every day," said Johan Ordish, head of software and artificial intelligence (AI) at the MHRA. He pointed out, however, that there are a number of "regulatory complexities" in establishing when these products should be regulated and what evidence they must have to demonstrate safety and effectiveness. Minister for Mental Health, Dr Caroline Johnson, said: "Digital mental health tools can be incredibly useful to help build resilience and prevent problems worsening, but it’s crucial these are regulated properly." To address these vital issues MHRA and NICE will explore and produce guidance on regulating digital mental health tools, using £1.8m funding by Wellcome over 3 years. The project will review key aspects of medical device regulations to produce guidance that will support digital mental health in several significant areas – including: Determining what qualifies as a medical device. The risk classification the devices would fall under. A review of the current evidence base for the devices. The MHRA explained that to achieve this it will "engage with" and "learn from" those with lived experience, subject experts, and patients, to inform their conclusions. Read full story Source: Medscape UK, 11 October 2022 -
News Article
NHSE drops tech target
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
NHS England has revealed it is no longer planning to meet a long-term plan maternity digitisation target, because of a change of approach. Under the heading of “empowering people”, the 2019 long-term plan promised to extend digital access to maternity records to the whole country by 2023-24. This was in addition to digitising the so-called red book, which is used to track the health of babies and young children. It followed a recommendation in the 2016 Better Births report, led by former health minister Baroness Julia Cumberlege and commissioned by NHS England. It was intended to reduce bureaucracy and improve safety, as well as provide parents with better information. However, a paper prepared by chief nursing officer Ruth May for NHSE’s October board meeting said while the organisation “remains committed” to digitising the records, meeting the 2024 deadline would be a challenge due to “varying levels of digital maturity and change capacity across maternity services”. In response, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists president Edward Morris told HSJ: “While we recognise the enormous pressures that maternity services are currently facing, we are disappointed that NHSE is no longer on track to meet the target to digitise maternity records by 2024. “This programme of digitisation will help realise our ambition for more effective use of data collected during pregnancy, to help identify and prevent the future onset of disease and improve outcomes for women and their babies. “If digital maternity records are to become part of the wider shift to electronic patient records, it is vital that this information is still accessible to both women and healthcare professionals as an important tool for shared decision making.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 11 October 2022 -
News Article
Remote monitoring service to be expanded in Norfolk following success
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Norfolk Community Health and Care it is using a remote monitoring service from Inhealthcare which allows patients to monitor their vital signs at home and relay readings via a choice of communication channels to clinicians who monitor trends and intervene if readings provide any cause for concern. Analysis of the six months before and after introduction showed a significant reduction in hospital bed days, A&E attendances, GP visits and out-of-hours appointments. Lead heart failure nurse at the trust, Rhona Macpherson, spoke to Digital Health News about the impact of the services on patients and nurses. For Macpherson, the service has helped promote self-management. “We give each of the patients a set of scales, blood pressure monitor and pulse oximeter and we get them to do their observations,” she said. “So we’re promoting self-management and looking at things but also it means that we can get accurate information on what’s happening with their observations. “We then set parameters to alert if they go outside of the parameters, and it just means we can intervene much more quickly than we would do, and we can see what’s going on between our visits as well as what’s happening when we’re actually there.” The service has transformed working practices for nurses, increasing efficiency and saving valuable time. Macpherson said: “We’re using the technology to try and make ourselves a little bit more efficient, so it’s saving on the travel time and face to face visits. “We can do a lot more with telephone. We’ve got the option of using video, but telephone is actually quite useful. So it’s less face to face visits, less travel and also, we’re trying to empower the patients to do their own observations and monitor themselves, rather than us just doing it for them.” -
News Article
Centre has ‘lost the narrative’ over NHSE merger
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The NHS should reduce the number of different electronic patient records (EPRs) used by trusts and instead rely on a smaller set of suppliers with nationally agreed prices, according to the CEO of NHS Digital. Simon Bolton, who is also NHS England’s interim chief information officer, also said NHSD and NHSE had “lost the narrative a little bit” over their forthcoming merger, due to a “fixation” with reducing NHSE staff numbers by a third; and that the centre of the NHS remained too “autocratic and authoritarian”. Mr Bolton said there were “too many” different EPRs used in the health service and said no private sector organisation would allow such variability for so long. His comments come amid a national drive to improve the uptake and quality of EPRs across NHS providers, following new technology targets set by the government earlier this year. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 28 September 2022 -
Content ArticleThis new report from the British Red Cross describes how asylum seekers struggle to access the internet and lack digital tools. The British Red Cross explained that the report aims to improve understanding of the experiences of digital exclusion among people seeking asylum, and how these experiences may impact access to, and experience of, healthcare. Researchers conducted interviews with 30 people currently seeking asylum across England for the report. The researchers themselves also had lived experience of seeking asylum.
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Content ArticleStudy into patient attitudes and perspectives related to viewing immediately released test results through an online patient portal. In this survey study of 8139 respondents at four US academic medical centres, 96% of patients preferred receiving immediately released test results online even if their healthcare practitioner had not yet reviewed the result. However a subset of respondents experienced increased worry after receiving abnormal results.
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Content ArticleThe Diabetes Record Information Standard defines the information needed to support a person’s diabetes management. It includes information that could be recorded by health and care professionals or the person themselves that is relevant to the diabetes care of the person and should be shared between different care providers. It was commissioned by NHS England and developed in partnership with the Professional Record Standards Body (PRSB). The Diabetes Self-Management Information Standard defines the information that could be recorded by the person themselves (or their carer) at home (either using digital apps or medical technology, for example, continuous glucose monitors or insulin pumps) and shared with health and care professionals.
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Content ArticleThis report outlines the results of the Patient Information Forum's (PIF's) 2022 survey and sets out progress made in the crucial areas of health and digital literacy since the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Content ArticleIn January 2023, Newmarket Strategy and BD, a global medical technology company, were part of a delegation of UK health leaders travelling to the global healthcare conference Arab Health in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The purpose of the visit was to learn more about Connected Medication Management (CMM) and the role it can play in solving some of the most pressing challenges faced by health systems today. Connected Medication Management is a technology-driven approach to medication management that uses digital and automation technologies. It aims to optimise medication use by reducing medication errors to improve patient safety, whilst delivering productivity gains for the NHS. It also frees up nursing and other clinical staff to provide more patient care.
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Content ArticleSome medical mistakes have been stubbornly hard to eliminate. Now, hospitals hope technology can make a difference. This Washington Post article highlights are some of the biggest problems that caregivers are trying to address with technology.
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Content ArticleDigital technologies can change how care is delivered, making health and care services more accessible, flexible, person centred, and a better experience for patients and staff while also improving efficiency. However, there is no guarantee of these positive effects until digitally enabled services are inclusive and meet the expectations of staff and the public. In this King's Fund long read, explore what digital exclusion is, who is commonly assumed to be excluded, and what can be done to mitigate digital exclusion.
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Content ArticleIn this on-demand webinar, professionals across the NHS discuss how their speciality areas interact with urgent care, and how digital health can be used to relieve pressure in relevant areas. Speakers: Dr Tom Micklewright, Medical Director at ORCHA and NHS GP Helen Hughes, Chief Executive at Patient Safety Learning Chris Efford, Clinical Lead Physiotherapist and Digital Fellow, University Hospitals Dorset and DNHS Dorset Digital Services at Home Team Dr Simon Leigh, Health Economist and Director of Research, ORCHA View presentation slides from the webinar
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Content ArticleHighland Marketing interviews Clive Flashman, independent consultant, chief digital officer at Patient Safety Learning and director of strategy at ORCHA. Clive has a longstanding interest in using health tech to engage patients and improve safety. He argues that to make real progress, the NHS needs to start taking a systems view, rather than a tactical view, of its adoption.
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Content ArticleIn this National Health Executive article, Dr Tom Milligan, Clinical Lead for Diabetes in Humber and North Yorkshire, discusses how ICB-led text messaging could dramatically increase patients' participation in programmes where other methods of patient outreach have already been tried.
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Content ArticleHTN Now hosted a panel discussion on virtual wards and the future of remote patient care, with guests Tara Donnelly (director of digital care models at NHS England), Sam Jackson (clinical services manager for the Virtual Health Hub at Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust) and Jamie Innes (product director at Inhealthcare).
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Content ArticleThis article looks at how Sheba Medical Center in Tel Aviv, one of the largest health systems in the region, has used artificial intelligence to turn around statistics on patient safety. In 2016, the Accelerate Redesign Collaborate Innovation Center at Sheba launched a an AI solution called Aidoc to read CT scans. It is being used to more accurately predict stroke and pulmonary embolism, allowing healthcare professionals to offer preventative treatment more quickly that when CT scans are read purely manually.
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Content ArticleFor people who have sensory impairments or learning disabilities, understanding complex medical information presents a barrier to access. The Accessible (AIS) Information Standard, introduced in 2016, gives disabled people and people with sensory loss the legal right to receive health and social care information and communications in a format that works for them. In 2018, two years after the AIS became law, Karl, who is blind and relies on braille and assistive technologies to access information and communication about his healthcare and appointments, contacted his local Healthwatch to tell them he was having ongoing issues accessing his healthcare information and communications. This case study tells Karl's story and highlights why considering patients' individuals accessibility needs is so important.
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Content ArticleHospitals and other medical organisations are being hit by a rising number of cyberattacks; ransomware strikes on healthcare doubled annually between 2016 and 2021, according to a study published in December in the Journal of the American Medical Association. After a cyberattack, hospitals are forced to cancel procedures, reroute patients to other facilities and resort to pen-and-paper record-keeping. In this article, Wall Street Journal reporter James Rundle looks at how cyberattacks and a regulatory push are increasing the pressure on medical device manufacturers to improve the security of their products.
