case studies
-Perioperative Care
How Synopsis digitised the pre-operative pathway at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust.
A cross-speciality workshop with staff (across nursing, surgical, anaesthetic, administrative and operational) to identify barriers to improving operating theatre performance across Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust (the Trust), recorded that the pre-operative assessment (POA) process was inefficient, and a barrier to improving the surgical pathway and maximising operating theatre use.
Two main barriers to efficient patients flow were identified by the workshop. Firstly, preoperative assessments were taking too long. 60 minute face-to-face appointment slots were being booked for all patients, irrespective of their procedure or previous medical history. And on the occasions when telephone assessments were booked instead of a face-to-face assessment, the decision to do so was based on age and procedure, rather than the patient’s health.
Secondly, patients were being assessed too close to surgery. 50% of patients were being assessed only two weeks prior to their operation, despite some being on waiting lists for 12 months. Many of these patients were found to be unfit for surgery during the POA. If assessed earlier, this time could have been used to intervene and help patients reach the appropriate condition for surgery.
Synopsis iQ, which underpins the the Synopsis platform, facilitates a digital POA pathway across the Trust. If attending an initial hospital appointment, patients complete their health questionnaire on a tablet, alternatively, staff can fill in the form with the patient. Staff then complete the full risk assessment in Synopsis iQ. Synopsis Home enables the Trus t begin a patient’s POA pathway from home. The patient can complete their POA health questionnaire via a tablet, smartphone, or computer without attending a hospital. The data is then shared to Synopsis iQ for staff to complete the full risk assessment.
Critically, this hybrid approach to POA data capture is fully integrated with the Trust’s PAS. Instant access to the POA data, whether captured during a hospital appointment or from a patient submitting their questionnaire remotely, enables the Trust’s multidisciplinary teams to collaborate easily and triage every elective surgery patient within a single digital dashboard.
Fewer face-to-face appointments
Digitising of the paper assessment process
Low-risk patients identified sooner
The pre-op assessment process starts sooner
Synopsis iQ’s deployment at Worcestershire has provided a complete digital solution to replace paper based pre-operative assessment. This includes clinical decision support, which helps to increase the throuput of fit-for-surgery patients to theatre and maximise theatre utilisation.
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