Mr Graeme McLeod¹, Professor Fiona Wood¹, A/Professior Dale Edgar¹

¹Fiona Stanely Hospital -WA Department Of Health , Palmyra Dc, Australia, ²Fiona Wood Foundation, Palmyra Dc, Australia

Abstract:

BACKGROUND

Quality of Life surveys (QOLs) provide clinicians with an objective measure of physical and mental patient progress since injury.  In WA the State Adult Burns Unit (SABU) QOLs are typically completed online during consult; this ensures results are collected securely and linked to the patient’s record.

To arm clinicians with information pertinent to the patient, completion of QOLs is best prior to consult, however the combination of the typical clinician workload and time-constrained patients often impedes this, resulting in clinicians needing to revisit or rebook the patient to address any issues raised.

METHOD

SABU together with WA Health ICT piloted The Virtual Clinic System (VCS), a WA Health solution that integrates with current hospital applications. VCS enables staff to invite patients, via SMS/Email, to complete encrypted QOLs on their mobile/PC. Further it allows staff to monitor progress of completion and send reminders. Once completed VCS automatically matches the survey back inside the Health Network.

RESULTS

• ~ 40% increase—surveys completed prior to appointments
• Average rating—9/10 from 15 patients (random)
• Minimum reduction—6 minutes per appointment

Subsequently VCS has been adopted as BAU and results continue to show a positive increase in completed QOLs, in particular a substantial increase is noted for rural and remote patients

DISCUSSION

VCS is an exemplar of a digital solution that can safely be used to expedite clinical care and provide the right intervention at the right time.  Additionally patient experience is positively boosted by focusing on improving time efficiencies and reducing unnecessary appointments.

Biography:

Graeme has been working in the State Adult Burns Unit since May 2015, as an MDT Officer, and also as a member of the Digital Innovation Team with the Fiona Wood Foundation.  Graeme’s role has supported the introduction of innovative quality improvement solutions to improve the efficiencies of the Unit, the Hospital and the Department.