Without digitising paper records inefficiencies like losing data, observations being illegible, wasting time tracking down health records, duplicating work and therefore wasting money all make for a very inefficient service. With the NHS under ever increasing pressure to do more work with less resources, inefficiency is not an option.
We realised that most of these inefficiencies occur in community care, where there are all of the inefficiencies of a paper process, plus additional time wasted travelling back and forth to base to copy up or collect paper notes, for example. One of the biggest challenges for our customers was online/offline working due to mobile signal blackouts, as well as interoperability between different systems.
The MIA mobile platform enables organisation to rapidly design and deploy secure clinical mobile apps. MIA apps support NHS workflows and improve efficiency for better patient care. The platform already has all the components common to apps, such as authentication, secure data storage and transmission, offline working and data sync as well as common functions like patient search, appointment scheduling and GPS mapping.
MIA requires the NHS Smartcard to authenticate using a smartcard reader sleeve on an iPad or using NFC on other tablets, alternatively the Isosec Virtual Smartcard can be used to make the process even more efficient. Removing a smartcard will automatically logout or lock the screen. All patient information on the device is encrypted and dual authenticated as per all NHS standards.
The MIA mobile platform transforms existing processes into an intuitive, gesture-driven, streamlined app. This means MIA contributes to a paperless NHS and is easy to use across acute and community settings. MIA works seamlessly offline, synchronising information when a connection is available. When online, GPS location is used to organise appointments by proximity for increased efficiency.
MIA electronically captures data so managers can see real-time views of individual and team performance. Inputs are geotagged and digitally signed for a clear audit trail which cannot be edited, only added to when necessary. Forms are digitised, so they can no longer be lost or misplaced. Configurable time-critical actions (e.g. NBST) are monitored with a colour-coded alert system.
The MIA mobile platform includes a module to provide a comprehensive facility for managing user registration and task allocation. MIA Manager shows real-time status updates of when users were last online. Patient workflow tracking ensures that forms have been submitted and shows the discharge status and historic notes for each patient.
We don’t just take the current paper process in the organisation and shoe-horn it onto a digital tablet device. Instead our product experts spend time understanding the process and reengineering it until it is as productive as possible. This normally takes about 12 weeks to meet, understand, redesign and deliver with an iterative feedback period between the project teams.
Users are allocated access with their NHS number and get a view of their patient journey. As they go along the pathway their information stays up to date with each visit. They also have access to trust-complicit information sheets, so all approved leaflets and guidance is accessible to them, encouraging them to be reading NHS standard information, rather than searching for information online. Smart features can be included, for example we have a built in mood-monitor that patients can click on each time they sign in and if it detects consecutive severe low mood it will prompt them to fill in a PHQ9 – the result of which can then be seen by the medical team.
MIA reduces administration and travel time by approximately 5 hours a week per user. MIA does this by removing duplication of administration, such as re-keying handwritten notes into an EPR, and reducing travel time. Time saved can be spent on improving patient care and seeing more patients per day.
A MIA app will typically pay for itself in under 4 months by lowering agency spend, removing administration tasks, reducing waste and minimising travelling expenses. One example of how we do this is forms like Payment by Results are digitised, so they can no longer be submitted late or lost, meaning more accurate costs are recovered for the level of care delivered.
Data quality is improved with codified menu options within MIA apps, and of course the removal of handwritten paper notes also contributes to a Paperless NHS. By coding in the selections and ensuring user-friendly input options on the device the data collected at each use will be guaranteed delivery into the organisations internal digital system and will also be easy to input.
At one Trust with the work they did around delivering a smart digital service their Bradford Score results showed staff satisfaction increased by 74%! Friends and Family response rates also improve on average by 26%, showing that patients are happier with care delivered through MIA.
With a digital solution like MIA, gold standard practice can be hard-coded into to process. So if your discipline has certain guidelines to follow to meet specific criteria we can optimise the workflow to deliver that. For example, MIA Maternity contributes to the objectives of the National Maternity Review and meets UNICEF’s Baby Friendly Initiative criteria for breastfeeding. Plus all NICE and Perinatal Institute guidelines are also supported in the workflow.
MIA apps are designed to need minimal training, we like to think most users who are familiar with smartphone/tablet devices can use a MIA app without the need for any training at all. The apps are gesture driven and intuitive, with simple menus like drop downs and sliders. Dictation and freeform notes are also supported.
