Principal clinical scientist Tanya Hart says the Dorset Care Record is providing people with better quality interpretation of their blood test results than in the past.
Dr Hart, who has been working at University Hospitals Dorset for the past 17 years, says part of her role involved interpreting blood test results and deciding which “abnormal” ones need urgent action and which are satisfactory.
“Previously, we’ve spent a frustrating amount of time on the telephone to GPs trying to find out what medication someone is on, or their past medical history.
“Now, we can just look it up, which saves our time and GP’s time, and means people get better quality interpretation of their results.”
Analysing blood tests results can be complicated. For example, Dr Hart said there has been an increase in the number of transgender patients, who are often on medication which affect hormone levels and can provide results that would appear to be abnormal if the laboratory wasn’t aware of the patient’s change in gender.”
She also takes part in Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) meetings that deal with patients from across the county.
“Being able to look up DCR blood and radiology results directly from our Electronic Patient Record (EPR) means that the MDT discussion is more complete, and people don’t end up having unnecessary repeat blood tests for example.”
She said going straight from the EPR to the Dorset Care Record at a touch of a button (Single Sign On) was also a real blessing. “I have up to 40 log-ons for different systems so this is certainly a bit quicker when it comes to functionality.
“I use the DCR at least three days a week, sometimes repeatedly, and I love the way it is so intuitive. Occasionally there are issues with the interface but crucially I can find what I am looking for,” she added.
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