The RCN in Wales highlights how district nurses are using technology to assist patients in their own homes
District nurses in the south Wales valleys are now using the latest laptops and tablets so they can access patient records on the go.
Paul Crank, senior nurse with the district nursing team at Cwm Taf University Health Board (CTUHB), won the Community Nursing Award at this year’s Royal College of Nursing in Wales Nurse of the Year Awards for his work on a programme to equip district nurses with Chromebooks.
They are now able to remotely access patient records and other information to directly assist them with their work as close to the people they care for as possible.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) in Wales says it is really important that patients were put at the heart of such a technological change.
A spokeswoman for RCN Wales said: “The benefit of using new technologies to support care also helps to attract nurses to working in community teams, and to continue developing their knowledge and skills in this area – a real issue in all aspects of nursing in Wales.”
District nurses in the community are able to link remotely to health board servers and clinical systems.
Supported by an IT development nurse, along with training and support for all staff, the RCN claims the initiative is making a “significant difference” to the lives of people being cared for in their homes.
It was part-funded by the Health Technologies Fund and has been informed and supported by The Kings Fund; The Strategy for Older People in Wales 2013-2023.
Melissa Duffy works for the CTUHB as a district nurse in the Merthyr and Cynon areas and is currently using a Chromebook in her role.
She said: “As a service we are fortunate to have these Chromebooks to assist us in providing the best possible care for patients within their own homes.
“It allow us to access live patient information from a variety of sources including GP/hospital records, allowing us to make more informed decisions on patient care while we are actually with the patient, as opposed to numerous visits to surgeries and finding follow-up information that could potentially cause delays; increase travel time and other associated costs.
“The use of Chromebooks is increasing all the time. Not only are they being used to produce patient notes and to access information but they are used to feed information back to services during and following patient visits.
“One good example of this is the way we have been able to inform and update GP records instantly during this year’s flu campaign, saving time and reducing the risks to patients.
“The Chromebooks also allow the service to plan, review and implement patient care efficiently and effectively, thus saving time and allowing us to spend more quality time with patients.”
The RCN says improvements are already being made to the care of Welsh patients with diabetes through remote access to hospital-based records, better care co-ordination with local authorities and fast-tracking of the care of people who wish to spend their finals days in their own homes.
As well as providing live remote access into the GP system the service also allows district nurses to order equipment, send emails, report incidents, fast-track patient support and manage all their caseloads and call scheduling electronically. It also supports nurses in e-learning and compliance training.
The RCN says the system is continually evolving – an electronic flu clinic is set to be set up as well as an electronic referral service.
The system will also be used to provide medical illustrations and clinical training videos.
Paul was commended by the RCN in Wales Nurse of the Year panel judging the Community Nursing Award for his unique energy and leadership in his work leading the All-Wales work in the development of this tool and in testing its principles.
His use of IT solutions to deliver care at home has been described as “transformational” and the work recognised as an exemplar for others, attracting a field visit from the Nursing and Midwifery Council.