Australia’s
eHealth NSW recently
announced that the second phase its electronic medical record (eMR2) has
expanded to enhance patient care at 2 more hospitals in South Western Sydney
Local Health District (LHD).
The
eMR2 is the extension of the electronic record of a patient’s medical
information to support their care during a hospital stay.
Completed
in 2011, the first phase of the eMR delivered the foundation electronic medical
record to emergency departments and operating theatres as well as limited
electronic functionality to the wards.
eMR2
extends the foundation eMR and introduces electronic clinical documentation for
patients in hospitals. It provides a broad range of core clinical documentation
such as comprehensive clinical risk assessments, checklists, progress notes,
clinical summary and patient history.
At
the moment, more than 88% of the NSW public hospitals scheduled for eMR2 are
now live, representing 157 of 178 sites in scope state-wide.
The
first hospital in the South Western Sydney LHD to use eMR2 was Bankstown
Hospital, followed by Liverpool in last November, and now Campbelltown and
Camden.
Following
a series of smooth go-lives in February, Campbelltown and Camden Hospitals implemented
eMR2 in 39 inpatient wards, 55 hospital-wide services and 115 outpatient
clinics. The 2 hospitals have a combined total of 380 beds for patients.
Program
Director of eHealth NSW’s eMR Connect Program Rick Turner said: “It is great to
see South Western Sydney LHD making good progress with its eMR2 roll-out. The
implementations have been well planned and executed, leading to better care for
their patients.”
The
introduction of eMR2 allows 2,500 clinicians and authorised patient care
personnel in Campbelltown and Camden Hospitals to view on an electronic device
information that would previously have been recorded on paper.
Dr
Richard Cracknell, Director of Camden and Campbelltown Hospital’s Emergency
Departments (ED) shared the hospitals’ experience in adopting eMR2, which he
described as “a seamless transition”.
“When
we moved across to eMR2, we had over 90% of staff trained. The online
observations and improved sign-out processes provided immediate safety benefits
to our patients,” said Dr Cracknell.
“In
a busy unit like the ED, change is always a high-risk endeavour, as our
patients keep arriving regardless. I commend the eMR2 team and the ED staff for
making such a seamless and safe transition to the new software,” he continued.
At
the same time, Operational Nurse Manager Mr Scott Metcalfe attributed the
success of eMR2 integration at Campbelltown and Camden to the “systematic
approach taken by the project team, as well as a 100% investment from our
staff”.
“The phase-in of eMR2 across 2 hospital campuses
is no small feat, but as a team we were able to identify challenges early in
the planning phase and implement processes to address them, ensuring an almost
flawless roll-out,” Mr Metcalfe said.