A new electronic patient record system is set to improve the way Milton Keynes University Hopsital cares for local people.
eCARE is more than just a new computer system the Trust said, it will give the hospital’s staff access to improved up-to-date information so that they can deliver safer, more efficient and more timely care.
eCARE will collate patient details in one easy-to-access place that is secure and confidential. This includes medical history, laboratory test results, allergies and current prescriptions. Previously, this information may have been stored in many different places and in many different forms that were not easily accessible to clinicians and that patients might have to repeatedly give the same information as they move through the hospital – eCARE will help to prevent this.
Caroline Hutton, Director of Operations at the hospital, said: “This is a hugely positive step forward for the hospital, our staff and our patients and will ultimately improve the already excellent care we offer local people. Hospitals up and down the country are implementing or looking to implement similar systems to make sure patients are enjoying all the benefits that new technology can offer so it is exciting that we will soon be able to offer local people these benefits.”
“eCARE will reduce the time it takes to record and access relevant information about a patient’s health, care and treatment whilst also helping to improve safety through many intuitive alerts and double checks. Our staff have all completed relevant training and preparations for the new system but we would still ask for patience during the initial implementation while we acclimatise to eCARE – in the long run it will hugely benefit us all.”
eCARE will provide many new benefits to care at the hospital. In addition to better managing a patient’s care throughout the hospital, eCARE will:
- Support clinical decision-making and care planning to improve safety and patient experience
- Give the hospital’s doctors and nurses access to real-time patient information, helping them plan the right treatment more easily
- Allow GPs to view certain hospital records of patients under their care
- Contain a full audit trail so that information on who has accessed patient records is fully recorded
