27 March 2008
Rotherham PCT use SystmOne templates to improve data quality
Rotherham PCT has spent considerable time and energy designing and implementing SystmOne templates to be used across care settings, with the aim of improving data quality. The vision - standardised data entry, and a positive impact on GP QOF and IM&T DES accreditation.
In Rotherham, a third of GP practices, two hospices and 40 Community services, including Community Matrons, District Nursing, Health Visitors and School Nursing currently use SystmOne.
With a wide range of services using SystmOne, the Information and Data Quality team recognised the need for consistent and standardised data entry through templates. Their aim was to produce good quality data which will be fit for sharing and minimise duplicate diagnosis entries and the inadvertent impact on GP QOF and IM&T DES Data Accreditation. An identified lack of IT skills and confidence also exacerbated this problem, meaning that the computer system was not being used to full advantage, with continued reliance on paperwork.
In order to improve the standard of data entered across the PCT, the Information and Data Quality team were commissioned to liaise with services to write a suite of templates and work at formulating a suitable process for designing and implementing them. By designing central templates, staff within individual services with varying levels of IT skills were not left with the responsibility of creating them themselves without access to data quality expertise. Templates could also be used across care settings from an early stage in their deployment, as the majority of preparatory work was done with services prior to Go Live.
The resulting process for developing templates at Rotherham PCT now includes the following stages: business change, clinical template approval and post Go Live evaluation.
Rotherham PCT's implementation plan includes general IT training to encourage users to feel less afraid of using computers, and to understand the principles of using templates.
Bet Rudge, Information Governance Manager, Rotherham PCT says, "The effort and commitment that went into the Community templates from both clinicians and data quality facilitators working closely together is already showing benefits in that we are fairly confident that the Community data now available in the GP record will have a positive rather than negative effect on QOF points and will hopefully achieve a similar result with the IM & T DES Data Accreditation. It could have gone much the other way if we hadn’t endeavoured to ensure that templates were consistent across both GP and community services to facilitate data fit for sharing and better patient care, thus avoiding duplicate diagnosis codes and missing data."
Among the benefits that will be seen by the PCT, healthcare professionals and patients through more efficient use of SystmOne and templates are:
- Use of a single, shared record with immediate and simultaneous access.
- Access to patient record is quicker, less complicated and the on-screen record is legible!
- Information about the health of the community is available at the desktop at PCT level.
- In practical terms, shelf space is saved by having less paper notes.
- Less paper notes means there is less filing and re-filing to do.
- Electronic records cannot be lost or elsewhere, as paper notes can be.
- Consistent data collection across all services, controlled by the PCT, will be achieved.
The project is still running and to date Rotherham PCT has trained almost 1,400 end users and published 223 templates with a further 52 unpublished templates. Currently a project is underway to implement changes to the red book implementation of HALL 4. Child Health and Community Children’s services templates are being reviewed in line with these changes.
Rotherham PCT are keen to share their experiences and their templates with other PCTs. You can contact the team through the Rotherham PCT IT Helpdesk on 01709 308844.
