Health informatics
Feature that use , collect and share data for the purposes of improving health outcomes at the individual , service and population level ’.
What does this mean for me ?
Occupational therapy practice is operating in a digital era , but with differing levels of digital maturity across services . In reality , this means one individual ’ s health and care record can be sat in four different electronic systems , as well as in paper format .
We all recognise the challenges this presents to our practice , for example not having the right information at the right time , but it also affects our ability to extract , share and learn from data that is sat in different places and formats .
If I was to have a guess at why most people choose a career like occupational therapy , I would say it was to make a difference for people . When it comes to record keeping , it is a good start to consider , how could my record keeping make a difference for people ?
What if the information you record could be shared directly with a person accessing your services through a personal health and care record app ?
What if that person could then choose to share that information directly with another service who they are accessing so they don ’ t have to repeat their story ?
What difference would all of this make in terms of the person being in control of their own information ?
This is just one reason for why occupational therapists can get passionate about information – because in the hands of the people who most need it , it makes a difference .
For more occupational therapists to be leading and contributing to projects to improve how information is shared and used in practice , the RCOT Data and Innovation Strategy ( 2021-2023 ) is recommending that by the end of 2023 , all occupational therapists will be able to :
• articulate what information or data is recorded , used , and shared as part of professional practice and identify improvements as to how information or data is utilised ;
• understand their role in improving the quality and structure of information and how this supports interoperability , clinical safety , and quality improvement ;
• know what activities and opportunities are available to develop data literacy skills ; and
• contribute to organisational projects that advance the range of information available to people in receipt of services and partners in care as part of public health and self-management approaches .
As occupational therapists we start with the person and work practically and holistically . Looking at user experience as a fundamental basis for improvements is something I think really relates to occupational therapy principles .
Truly collaboratively working with end users as part of the team from the conception and design stage is how we really understand how to make the best improvements .
As an occupational therapist working on personal health record developments , taking this approach has meant that we have codesigned from the beginning of the project and therefore prioritised information that is important to our service users .
It is essential we base our services on facts not opinions and we can only do this if we have accurate data .
We are now working on service users being able to record outcome measures and that data automatically flowing into our electronic patient record and reporting systems . This makes it more convenient for patients as well as saving clinical time .
Words LAURA COOK , Carenotes service improvement clinical lead / My Health and Care Record clinical lead , Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
When it comes to record keeping , it is a good start to consider , how could my record keeping make a difference for people ? ”
January 2022 OTnews 31