HANDOVERS INFORMATION SYSTEMS

Handovers Clinical Information Systems Brief Description: Handovers are well understood to be crucial activities for the patient safety. The information processing needs of Handovers are simple at one level but complex at another level. At a simple level staff need to be able to retrieve the most recent and relevant content in the patient record for the patients who are in the most unpredictable condition. On the other hand that data often requires a lengthy amount of time to extract from the CIS, if there is one available. A Handovers-IS has the requirements of finding the appropriate data from a host CIS, allowing staff to define the data that is needed in an easy and continuously changeable manner depending on the context. The context can vary according the staff member involved in the handover, the patient, and the patient’s condition.  Project Aim: The aim of this project is to provide reliable and timely information to staff for use in handovers.  Project Objectives: 1. to retrieve data from an existing clinical information system that is appropriate and timely for any handover process. 2. to provide suitable aide memoir content for staff to use during their shift. 3. create an environment where a handovers system can be readily generated so that staff have their own customised system to suit their own context. 4. enable changes to a handover system to be achieved rapidly and on demand by clinical staff  Brief Project Methodology: The methodology is: 1. Reverse engineer the existing clinical information system to identify its data architecture, organisation, and storage methods. 2. Interview the staff and establish the minimal set of timely data they need for handovers. 3. Design generic methods for creating the presentation layout from staff requirements as they require for the output data. 4. Design the generic method for retrieving the desired data from the host clinical information system. 5. Test the system with trusted staff and develop methods for operationalising the system. 6. Train all staff to use the system. 7. Collect feedback on the use of the system and ways to improve it.  How will this project improve patient care: This project will improve patient care by:Ensuring staff have the most timely relevant and data for discussions during handovers.  It will ensure staff get the correct pieces of  information for their next round of  tasks.   It will ensure trainee staff learn more quickly the essential information needed for particular types of decision making.   It will save staff time having to search through voluminous collections of data to get the data items relevant to their immediate task and from transcribing that data onto paper.    It can ensure staff acknowledge receiving certain pieces of obligatory information and hence improve patient safety and process auditability.