Hospitals nearly note perfect

A �1 million scheme to overhaul a medical records department has dramatically reduced the number of missing patient notes.

The project at Leicester's hospitals, which has taken five years, uses new technology and extra training to make it quicker and easier to get the right notes to clinics in time.

As a result, the number of missing notes dropped from 30 per cent to 0.4 per cent – one of the lowest levels in the country, where the national standard is four per cent.

Cathy Lea, medical records site service manager for Leicester's hospitals trust, said: "On the first day I arrived at Leicester Royal Infirmary it was very messy.

"There were notes all over the place, even on the floor.

"It has taken quite a time but I am really pleased it is working so well."

The department deals with about one million requests a year for patient notes from clinics, wards and hospitals and houses 2.5 million records.

Now, records are automatically requested when an outpatient appointment is booked and hospital staff from any of the city or community hospitals can order them online.

A computer system keeps track of where the notes are and a "receipt and delivery" collection office has been established at the infirmary.

Cathy said: "By reducing the number of missing notes, the project has improved the safety and reliability of care.

"Medical records is not a frontline clinical service but it is a vital one.

"Medical notes help clinicians make accurate diagnoses and decisions on treatment."

It is estimated the cost in staff time of each request for notes in 2007 equated to �3.27. The new system has reduced this to just over �2 – saving �1.19 million a year.

Carla Sharman, deputy team leader of the rheumatology department at Leicester's hospitals, said: "Before this, our clinic co-ordinators would have to fetch all the records for every patient on the list.

"Notes were often in the wrong place and it could be time-consuming to find them."

Source: http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/32715/f/503348/s/154d8d77/l/0L0Sthisisleicestershire0O0Cnews0CHospitals0Enearly0Enote0Eperfect0Carticle0E360A12550Edetail0Carticle0Bhtml/story01.htm

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