HNC installs Automated Trust Wide NT Screening Program System for Bristol

University Hospitals Bristol NHS Trust, North Bristol NHS Trust(Southmead), Royal United Hospital Bath & Weston General Hospital Weston Super Mare can now boast an integrated solution between the Fetal Medicine departments and Biochemistry Department

The Bristol region was committed to provide 1st Trimester NT risk screening for all women by 1st July 2011. This meant that the volumes of blood samples sent to the Southmead blood lab would increase significantly. The trust identified that this increased volume as well as the manual input of background and ultrasound NT Screening data was not only time consuming but had a very high potential for error. An effective and cost efficient system was needed to reduce this risk.

Integration between ViewPoint and the blood analysis software at the lab was identified as being the solution for this requirement and the HNC team worked with both the regional trusts and the lab, as well as the blood analyser provide (Roche Diagnostics) to provide a solution that allows automatic blood test requests from each hospital, with the results automatically updating the patient record when the results had been analysed. This allows 1st Trimester NT risk to be calculated within ViewPoint using the ultrasound details already recorded within ViewPoint as well as the biochemistry results electronically sent into ViewPoint using the new interface.

HNC added a PAS demographic interface to the main system to prevent manual errors and help with the workload of users on the system.

Extra ultrasound machine connections allowed for more locations to capture measurements and images during the examination which are recorded against the patient record in ViewPoint. This also ensures that the service can be offered to all women within the region

In addition standardised reports were set-up and have been implemented across the Trust. These can be identified by hospital as specific headers for each hospital and department have been set-up on the reports.

The outcome looks favourable with a greatly expanded system that covers wider geographical location; there is now a clean index of patients that are updated automatically in line with the hospital PAS system and importantly due to this integrated solution the Trust now has a system for a more efficient and streamlined recording of blood results.