IT system failures have been linked to the deaths of three patients and more than 100 instances of serious harm at NHS hospital Trusts in England. Gary Day discusses the way forward for the digitisation of patient data and warns that getting this right is essential to meet the NHS’s challenges, both now and in the future.
Documents and records may not be associated with cutting-edge technology, but they are at the core of digital transformation in the NHS. After faltering moves to digitise NHS medical records, the focus is very much on the challenges of legacy IT and the introduction of flexible approaches that deliver more advanced document management for a network of organisations employing 1.7 million people.
Document management needs to transform itself in the short term while the NHS undergoes further reorganisation or adapts to new targets and priorities after a change in government. The task is daunting for any organisation, but especially for a loose confederation that treats more than a million people every day.
Medical records number in their millions and have their own code of practice1 which emphasises their centrality to care delivery. Records are governed by strict legal frameworks, and after the Caldicott Principles and inquiries such as Mid Staffs and Infected Blood, nobody should doubt their importance. Any widescale improvement in care delivery depends on the seamless transfer of data in documents, including the operation of England's 42 integrated care systems.
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