A paperless A&E does not exist yet as the technology is not well developed.
HAS EDIS allows the use of mixed technology, the paper and the computer.
Having seen the system working in Derriford, I am surprised by the comment
that the system is slow. Lee probably has not experienced the "wonders" of
other systems currently available. Then he would realise the speed and
flexibility of HAS.
HAS as used in Canada and NZ allows for the printing of "paper forms" for
certain conditions. While these do not provide a computerised diagnosis,
they allow at least for a structured history taking and a structured
examination. These forms can be adapted by individual departments as they
require. How many times we wish that the examining doctor did not omit
testing the visual acuity while examining an eye? The possibility is
endless. There are few departments in the UK who have experimented with this
and from visiting them or talking to the persons concerned it seems that the
documentation has improved. Sadly there is yet no prove of improving the
accuracy of diagnosis or the outcome.
Finally, the only way to get rid of the inconvenience of storage of our
paper records is, for the moment, to scan these at the end of the visit and
save them as indexed picture documents. These can be searched, read &
printed later as required. Total cost of this project £300K depending on
existing infrastructure. More if the department is not computerised or uses
obsolete technology!
Claude G Chikhani
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|