Implementing an electronic patient record for Leicestershire’s
therapists working in the community: 2002–2005
The Tiara9 implementation across Leicestershire and Rutland Community
Therapy Services has achieved impressive results by any standards, producing
proven and quantifiable benefits for patients, clinicians and service
delivery. Carol Marsden, Simon Taylor and Derek Coker reflect
on some of the key aspects of its success to date.
ABSTRACT
As a result of a reorganisation of community services, physiotherapy,
occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, podiatry and dietetics
services for adults in Leicestershire and Rutland came under the management
of a single organisation in 2002: Leicestershire Adult Community Therapy
Service (ACTS).
It necessitated a programme for unifying the Service’s organisation and
the development of a new clinical-information system. The
implementation-management team opted for an approach that included hands-on
involvement of frontline therapists in all the developmental stages of the
new information system; the setting of specific goals and frequent
‘milestones’ for the project; a realistic timeline for implementation; and
clear accountability of each of the project’s main drivers: ACTS managers,
Leicestershire Health Informatics Service and the customised EPR-system
developer, Ethitec.
Three years into the five-year plan, the Tiara9 system for Allied Health
Professions has already achieved outcomes in line with those being sought by
NHS Connecting for Health for the National Programme for IT. Its project
leaders believe that it is the meaningful engagement of clinicians
throughout the process that has facilitated its success.
Br J Healthcare Comput Info Manage 2005; 22(5): 20–2. |
