Specialist trauma teams in Glasgow say an iPad app that replaces paper records is improving efficiency in emergency care.
The techology captures patient details and treatment in real time and can be accessed by multiple teams and has been trialled on more than 500 patients at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital and the Royal Hospital for Children.
Clinicians played a key role in the development of the app by Daysix and it is hoped it will be rolled out to Scotland's other major trauma hospitals.
The roll-out of the West of Scotland Major Trauma Network began last year, with patients being taken directly to where they can receive specialist care rather than to their closest hospital.
The Queen Elizabeth University Hospital and the Royal Hospital for Children have been receiving patients from across Scotland with a large multidisciplinary team providing treatment from initial resuscitation to rehabilitation.
Professor David Lowe, Consultant for Emergency Medicine at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, said: “The Trauma App has been hugely beneficial for our major trauma teams.
"During major trauma care it is of vital importance that processes are accurate and efficient and the Trauma App supports this.
“As clinicians have played a key role in the development of the app, it has been designed to reflect how we have been trained as trauma clinicians, with the same flow of data."
Robyn Morrison, Development Fellow in Paediatric Emergency Medicine and Trainee Lead for Trauma at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow, added: “One thing we have noticed is the speed we can process documentation through the app.
"As everything is uploaded to the system straight away it also speeds up data input when compared to the paper booklets.
“It’s so user friendly and also promotes collaborative working, meaning that different teams can update speciality notes on a single case, meaning all notes are clear and accessible.”
As the pilot continues, it is hoped that the app could be developed for further use in the field, as part of the initial assessment when teams respond to major trauma calls.
Ben Beaumont, the Trauma App Product Manager, said achieving 500 cases "is statistically significant."
He said: "With these volumes, we’re now able to develop analytics dashboards that provides clinicians with actionable insights.
“The Queen Elizabeth University Hospital and the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow have forged a path that will help other hospitals to do the same."
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