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Electronic Document Management System Business Case
The Challenge
PHU use a variety of clinical information systems to capture patient treatment information. The organisation is moving from being paper based to paper-lite and this allows for better and more seamless sharing of information across specialities within the Trust. However, the paper patient record is still at the heart of the record keeping within the trust. A business case was required to implement an EDRM system to manage the sharing and use of the paper files and paper-based information gathering forms.
Our Approach
We worked with the Health Records Team and operational teams to understand the current usage of paper records. We gathered information on the size of the current paper record libraries and the staff required to manage them. Paper records are used for both clinical and non-clinical purposes, such as Clinical Coding and Subject Access Requests. Patients can request a copy of their file and the only way to share this is by copying the physical file or scanning it.
The business case details how to make the existing health records libraries electronic by back scanning the records and making them available via an EDRM. It makes a case for the forward scanning of paper documents while aiming to reduce the number of paper forms in circulation by making them digital. The removal of paper records brings a variety of benefits including reducing the associated clinical risks with misfiling of notes, lost notes due to incorrect tracking and information not filed in chronological order. The release of library space and reduction in staff are other benefits.