Wheelchair data put on electronic patient record

Ethitec, manufacturers of patient record system Tiara9 and the Equipment Loans Management System (ELMS), has developed a new module that merges the two systems together by holding wheelchair assessments and specifications on the electronic patient record.

The data entered on the new module, which as well as model and size statistics can explain why the patient requires a wheelchair and under what circumstances it is required, is kept on the Tiara9 patient record. Wheelchair data can be kept separate or integrated with Ethitec’s ELMS2 loan and maintenance software.

Simon Taylor, commercial director of Ethitec, told E-Health Insider: "What we have done is incorporate a lot of Tiara9’s functionality. We have merged the databases of Tiara9 and ELMS so they share a common database.

"Wheelchair services have historically been separate from equipment services," said Taylor. "A wheelchair is, after all, another piece of equipment. It was a relatively small change to incorporate the additional requirements that a wheelchair service has.

"The functionality that we added to the system is that it can be done electronically; clinicians can add their own forms on to the records and add them to the patient record. The assessments themselves can be done on the system – on a PDA if necessary."

Extra fields can be put into the system to suit different environments, said Taylor. "Having done the assessment, there comes the decision as to what the wheelchair needs to do for the patient. The wheelchair could well be a special build for the patient.

"The main thing is the ability for the clinicians to control and design their own forms. They design their own HTML form, and this form can be added to the system. Or we have a huge library of forms. They get the forms that they want to use. That form is part of the patient record."

Taylor also added that having a portable wheelchair specification tied to the electronic patient record that also explained why patients required help with mobility was an important step as part of the Single Assessment Process (SAP).

This is also linked in with the convenience of having the record online. "They don’t have to have records on paper, and go find the paperwork; it’s stored as part of the electronic record," said Taylor. "At the moment it’s not available on the internet, but there is no technical reason why this could not be available out in the community."

There is no third party involved in entering the data, which improves accuracy, he said. "The information that goes into the request is typed in by the clinician."

Three sites are due to go live with the system next month, with successful pilots carried out at Ethitec’s existing sites. "The feedback we have had from the early users and the pilots has been very positive," said Taylor.