Enabling the national digital agenda: myhealth@QEHB, now and the future

James FergusonConsultant Hepatologist

QEHBBirmingham

The idea

• Patients often request to see their letters and results

• QEHB has advanced electronic systems; results , letters and electronic prescribing

• Patients often travel great distances for care and have multiple providers

• Most patients access and use the internet for many services

Support

• The medical director and chief executive (key)

• Informatics team

• IT department

• Patients

• Colleagues

Pilot phase

• Initial pilot of 12 patients with liver disease (2011)

• Developed in conjunction with the patients

• Development group included clinician, patient, IT, informatics, communications team

• Pilot funded by

Roll out

• Business case presented to board

• Approved

• Project group (clinician, patients, IT, informatics and communications team)

• Clinical group

• Went live August 2012

• 4000 users across a range of specialties

Key Functionality

Patients can view• Letters (including GP and

external provider letters)• Blood tests (including GP

results)• Information relating to their

condition• Contact details

Patients can enter• Diary information• A biography• Letters/ blood results for

viewing by clinical team• BP• Weight• Blood sugars

A digital challenge

• In line with the governments information strategy

• ‘Information about me and my care’

• Key ambition • A change in culture and mindset, so that our health and care

professionals, organisations and systems recognise that the information in each of our own care records is fundamentally about us – and so that it becomes routine for us to be able to access our own records online.

Future developments

• Virtual clinics/consultations– in line with digital first initiative

• Care plans and competencies e.g. dialysis patients

• Teleheath– In line with 3 million lives initiative

• Research version

Evaluation and Research

• Key performance indicators regularly monitored by project group

• Patient and clinicians evaluations have been performed

• The system is part of 2 research grant applications

• It has not yet been formally evaluated in a research setting

Can it be adopted elsewhere?

• Yes

• It requires basic building blocks• Electronic labs system• Electronic letters

• It requires commitment from trust at senior levels and investment

• Initiated by a clinician

• Developed in conjunction with IT and patients

• 4000 users after 1 year

• In line with government policy

• Future developments

• Can be adopted elsewhere