Software products
New iSOFT intervention saves blood tests
A new software application from iSOFT has the potential to save NHS
trusts around £100,000 a year by preventing unnecessary blood tests.
The tool, called Request Intervention (RI), has saved Sandwell and
West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust (SWBH), with whom the tool was
developed, £25,000 on pathology tests alone.
RI applies user-defined rules to determine whether results of
previous tests are still valid, which avoids retesting and duplication.
"A diabetic’s HbA1c level can be valid for between 90 and 120 days so
measuring again within that time period is pointless and wasteful for
many patients", says Alan Wall, one of the clinical biochemists at SWBH.
The intervention rules, however, are flexible enough, he says, to
exclude certain patients such as those from antenatal clinics where
repeat testing could be appropriate.
RI has had a major impact in helping reverse a growing trend, says
Wall. "The number of test requests had been rising steadily for several
years along with costs, but we are now seeing a measurable decline in
tests where intervention rules apply".
RI is now available to all those trusts using iSOFT pathology
systems. iSOFT Group headquarters are in Banbury, Oxfordshire.
Source: bjhc&im December 2006
Disclaimer
|