Leeds Children’s Hospital has announced the launch of new ‘digital ways of working’ at the site, as it aims to improve data accuracy and the care it provides, as well as reduce manual workloads.
The specialist hospital, which is part of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, introduced ePAWS in July, which it describes as a ‘new way of monitoring paediatric patients.’
Paediatric Advanced Warning Score (PAWS) is an alert system that can help identify paediatric patients who are at risk of deterioration. It does this by using the patient’s clinical observations to recommend a response and the next steps to take.
Until recently, the hospital says that the PAWS scores were calculated manually and recorded on a paper chart – but this new system uses the mobile version of the trust’s electronic health record, PPM+, instead. This technology enables staff to ‘record clinical observations, calculate PAW scores, and record any related interventions’, thereby reducing the potential for manual error, and providing ‘fast, easy access to real-time information’, as well as ‘automating the display of results and task reminders’.
The Leeds team has also introduced a new height and weight e-form in PPM+, which is also being used to replace a paper based method. It allows staff to record and track paediatric patients’ growth, and to monitor and spot any trends over time, ensuring growth charts become an easily accessible and quick to use part of the electronic health record.
Celia McKenzie, Head of Nursing at Leeds Children’s Hospital, also hinted at more digital innovation to come, saying: “These two projects are the first of a number of digitisation projects in Leeds Children’s Hospital. We’re really embracing digital because it can make a big difference, helping reduce manual effort and time taken to complete paperwork, improve data accuracy, and ultimately improve the care we provide for children and young people.”
