Patient safety in one of the region’s largest eye units is being enhanced thanks to additional information being picked up by consultants from the Dorset Care Record.
Consultant ophthalmologist Cath Marsh has been an eye consultant at the University Hospitals Dorset since 2003, specialising in paediatric ophthalmology and oculoplastics (eye plastic surgery). She is one of the consultants in charge of the Eye Emergency department, which in most years sees around 20,000 visitors a year.
It is one of the largest eye units in central southern England and patients come from across the whole of Dorset and West Hampshire for treatment.
Cath was aware of the Dorset Care Record because of updates from UHD’s chief informatics and IT officer Peter Gill and following a demonstration with one of the hospital’s DCR leads Sam Belhomme signed up to the system. She and colleagues have found it immensely beneficial.
She said it was really useful to be able to see care records which included medication, allergies and planned episodes from across Dorset.
“We often see patients, particularly emergencies and out of hours from across the county and beyond. For example, we recently had a confused eye trauma patient admitted with no history. I was able to get this and his medication from the DCR and we were able to find out that he was diabetic.
“Before the DCR, we would have to look at old prescriptions or phone the patient’s GP, which sometimes would mean a delay of several hours. We would be scrabbling around.
“Having their medical history in one place saves us time and gives us a greater understanding of the patient’s history. It’s good to know if they are diabetic or have a drug allergy. Additional information on hand means it is safer for the patient.”
Cath highlighted a recent case of a patient who had received emergency eye treatment at UHD but it was proving problematic finding out whether there was any follow-up taking place.
“We weren’t sure whether the patient had a follow-up appointment in Dorchester so we checked the DCR and found the patient was going to be seen, which was really reassuring.”
Having information from Dorset County Hospital is beneficial as it means the likelihood of duplicate appointments is vastly reduced.
With Covid cases falling, the eye unit has recently restarted cataract operations, and Cath says having additional patient referral information – which is available in the DCR – is a real bonus.
“We haven’t always had a huge amount of past history information and so having this through the DCR is like having more pieces in the jigsaw. It saves time and ultimately provides better and safer care for patients,” she added.
Ends