Alan Page, Birmingham SAP IT Lead

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Alan Page, Birmingham SAP IT Lead
Digital Pen TrialAugust September 2005
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What are we trying to achieve?

• To test the acceptability of a potential
  electronic means of collecting patient assessment
  information, with these possible benefits
• Reduced use of multiple paper copies
• Easy to use (minimal training required)
• Patient-centred (they could use it)
• Compatibility with existing forms and layout
• Data capture of key patient details
• Safety (practitioner and equipment)

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Whats involved?

• The Logitech io2 Digital Pen
• Digital enabled paper
• PC cradle to download data
• Logitech software on PC
• developed SAP Contact Form

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Audience participation..
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How does it work?
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What it can do

• Special digital pen paper available for
• Notes
• Emails
• Post-it notes
• Calendar entries
• Handwriting to text conversion
• 40 pages of A4 (at 29 lines to a page)

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How this could help the SAP Process

• Current Birmingham process is paper-based
• National Programme for IT (Health) will initially
  provide centralised computer-based system, as
  does CareFirst system (SCH)
• Future mobile solutions (PDA, Laptop/Tablet PC,
  digital TV)
• Gap between current process and future solution
  

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Progress to date

• Initial evaluation
• Report and recommendation issued to Birmingham
  SAP Multi-Agency Group
• Additional funding obtained from Heart of
  Birmingham Teaching PCT (Liz Brown)
• Business Case created
• Two month trial with practitioners in real-life
  environment

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Trial Objectives

• Test usability of pen (new slimmer version
  available since original evaluation), battery
  life, memory capacity, level of IT knowledge
  required
• Minimise impact on normal workload
• Digitally enabled Contact Form
• Capture and downloading
• Form images
• Selected data items
• Fallback position

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Development

• Digital version of form and associated software
  by Sysnet
• Data fields enabled
• NHS Number, CareFirst No., Local Ref., Ethnicity,
  Gender, Date of Birth, Date of Assessment,
  Consent form completed and valid (check-box),
  Consent form completed during this assessment
  (check-box)
• Printed as 2-part, 4-page, NCR sets

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Trial Participants

• Specialist Workers for Older People (SWOPs) based
  at Victoria Road Medical Centre
• 2 participants
• dedicated laptop PCs and pens
• Intermediate Care, based at Ladywood Health
  Centre/City Hospital
• 3 participants
• Shared desktop PCs and pens

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Outcomes

• 37 assessments completed
• Only minor problems encountered
• Images downloaded successfully and available for
  printing, filing, emailing (if appropriate)
• Data fields downloaded for each assessment
• Minimal impact on normal assessment

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Key findings and future possibilities

• Data field capture was good but scope for
  improvement in character recognition (e.g.
  training, form layout)
• 2-part forms preferable to existing 4-part
• All could use pen successfully (although
  additional skills useful e.g. ECDL 1,2 7)
• Ability to store, print, share images very useful
  (e.g. as attachments on SWOP database)

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Key findings and future possibilities (continued)

• Pen data security (passwords, encryption)
• Ability to update existing assessments
• Automatic folder creation, filing/naming of
  assessments on download
• Additional data fields
• Character recognition
• Relevant issues with Sysnet
• Report/recommendations being produced