A new digital pathway for the care of diabetes has gone live in Northern Ireland, running on the Electronic Care Record (NIECR) for the country.
Named the Diabetes Pathway it has been developed by electronic health records specialist Orion Health for Health and Social Care NI (HSCNI) and is replacing the legacy systems following the conclusion of a successful pilot.
Previously clinicians have had to use separate systems for paediatric and adult patients that worked for just one trust, so that when a patient moved the data had to be rekeyed from one system to another and it was almost impossible to report on the issue at a national level.
The data is now being entered into the digital pathway within the NIECR, making it available to clinicians throughout Northern Ireland, and enabling the diabetes specialists to see information on previous treatments and any conditions affecting a patient.
Gary Birks, general manager UK and Ireland for Orion Health, said: “The pathway builds upon the rich clinical data available within the NIECR, such as real time laboratory results, and allows clinicians to access this information easily in one place leading to more effective and efficient patient care. This includes professionals who have often sat on the periphery of information sharing, such as podiatrists.”
Orion Health highlighted the increase in diagnosis of diabetes in the UK over the past 20 years and said about 100,000 people are being treated for the condition in Northern Ireland.
Image: Stephen Beattie, e-health programme manager, Business Services Organisation; Dr Roy Harper, senior endocrinologist, South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust; Phil Rodgers, e-health project manager, Business Services Organisation; and John Faith, senior applications analyst, Orion Health
