Nelson Marlborough Health implemented Smartpage Clinical to assist with clinical communication requirements and task management solutions.
Our client
The Nelson Marlborough District Health Board was established in 2001, providing and funding health services in the Nelson, Tasman and Marlborough regions on the South Island of New Zealand for nearly 160,000 people.
The challenge
The challenges NMH were hearing from clinical staff, and a real driver for looking for an electronic communication system, were around transparency of information. NMH needed a product that they could implement seamlessly into their existing environment and that would address issues such as recording clinical photos and task management.
Smartpage was selected as a natural progression for NMH as the organisation was already using Patientrack and appreciated the ease and ability of extending a vendor relationship who were responsive to their needs and requirements. Having Patientrack has enabled the organisation to have a transparent view of where and when a patient is deteriorating and that data available at the bedside or in a clinic room for senior clinicians has really improved care.
The solution
NMH implemented Alcidion’s Smartpage Clinical across two hospitals to improve communication across clinical groups. For NMH, ward staff identified that technology could improve the flow of information and reduce delays in the patients’ journey.
Smartpage Clinical also supported the need to better manage tasks. The project included integration with the existing Patientrack solution to streamline task management and allocation. In a recent survey of users, clinical staff indicated that since using Smartpage they had seen improvements in time saved, clearer information, transparency of workflow and better communication.
The result
In the initial implementation, 100 hospital staff across two hospitals – Nelson and Wairau– were able to access the Service Management component of Smartpage Clinical.
A Duty Nurse Manager from NMH said, “While it is early days in using Smartpage, we have seen improved communication across the areas using it. We are saving so much time every day now that we are using Smartpage.”
Other Ward Nurses have also provided feedback that “Its brilliant – keep it up! This is a rapid and highly efficient tool for communication”
A House Officer in a recent survey noted “I actually really like Smartpage. I prefer a Smartpage chat about charting regular meds, or paracetamol etc. rather than a phone call. And I like the fact that you can leave the page sitting there until you’ve done the job so that you don’t need to write anything down (like you would if you got a call)”
Another stated “When the whole ISBAR and patient observations are filled out on job requests it is great and makes jobs a lot easier. Is also great being able to deal with things through Smartpage when you are free, instead of constantly getting called and interrupted.”
With the implementation of Smartpage Clinical, clinicians at NMH have been able to save time with routine task management and improve communication. With the latest upgrade including group messaging, clinicians will be able to ensure increased security around how teams communicate and move communications off unsecure sites.
Since the implementation began, NMH have sent over 4,800 pages across the district with plans for increased integration in the future to drive more uptake across the teams.
The future
To date both Alcidion products have been well received with future improvements being addressed to integrate escalation of the deteriorating patient in Smartpage. NMH aim to work with the whole of the health system and, as such, have been working with Alcidion on improvements in the community application of these functionalities.
NMH are now in the process of working with their Mental Health teams on how they can use Smartpage to improve communication with General Practice. With the introduction of Patientrack into the Mental Health areas, there is an expectation to expand the use of Smartpage across the organisation.
NMH are also looking at implementing the Smartpage Non-Clinical functionality in 2021 which supports the management of patient service functions such as orderlies and cleaning as well as integrating their pre-admission area into Patientrack to minimise duplication of effort by staff.
NMH’s vision
All people live well, get well, stay well. Kaiao te tini, ka ora te mano, ka noho ora te nuinga.
NMH’s values
- Respect, manaakitanga: We care about, and will be responsive to, the needs of our diverse people, communities and staff. Kia horahia te manaakitanga ki ngā iwi katoa me ngā hāpori, kaimahi hoki.
- Innovation, auaha: We will provide an environment where people can challenge current processes and generate new ways of working and learning. Kia auaha me whakahoutia i ngā pūkenga ākonga, me ngā mahi ki tēnei hāpori.
- Teamwork, whakarāmemene: We create an environment where teams flourish and connect across the organisation for the best possible outcome. Kia whakarāmemene i ngā kaipupuni hauora kātoa.
- Integrity, ngākau tapatahi: We support an environment which expects openness and honesty in all our dealings and maintains the highest integrity at all times. Kia taea i te ngakau tapatahi i runga i te tika me te pono i ngā mahi kātoa.
Key statistics
- Area covered: 22,700 square kilometres
- Population: 160,000
- Healthcare staff: 3,022
- Venues: Two hospitals, two public health services and many community services
- Beds: 211
- Admissions: Average of 388 per month across all sites
- ED attendances: Average of 4,000 per month across the district
- Ambulatory attendances: Average of 17,000 per month across the district
Key wins
In a recent survey of staff including medical, nursing and allied health 22% stated that Smartpage has saved them time. One of the ward nurses stated that “It’s better than phone calls because it doesn’t matter if I’m busy or on the phone, I still get the message and can respond more usefully due to the information they send in the Smartpage message (rather than having to pick up phone messages or notice that a text has come through).”
NMH have noticed that since the introduction of Smartpage, the uptake of ward to ward information around patient flow and handover of information is now completed in Smartpage. What would have previously been a phone call, Smartpage allows staff to respond when they are ready and not take them away from clinical workloads. NMH Allied health staff have really embraced the use of Smartpage and now use it as their main referral tool from Emergency and HDU in the Wairau Hospital.