St James's Hospital reaches milestone in digital journey

St James’s Hospital, the country’s largest acute hospital, has reached an important milestone in its digital journey. All inpatient interactions which were previously recorded on paper have been digitised and will now be recorded electronically. This is the largest-scale digitisation of inpatient records in an Irish hospital to date, making St James’s the most digitally advanced general acute hospital in Ireland.

Every inpatient speciality and department at St James’s Hospital have gone live over the weekend of Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th October. The transition has involved the training of 2,400 staff members over 21,000 hours with the new enhanced functionality of Cerner Millennium, the hospital’s electronic patient record (EPR) system.

Those attending the hospital as inpatients can expect a more efficient experience as the added functionality brings a raft of benefits for both patients and clinicians. Patients will no longer have to repeat the same details when receiving care, with test results and diagnoses being shared faster between hospital departments. By having quicker access to records, including any prescriptions or allergies, hospital staff will be able to provide smarter, safer care.

Each patient’s EPR will include medical and nursing assessments, medical history, medications, allergies, laboratory test results, radiology images, and more.

Lorcan Birthistle, CEO St James’s Hospital said:  “St James’s, as the largest acute hospital in the country, has a leadership responsibility and it is a landmark development that we moved to digital inpatient records this weekend. The electronic patient record system will help us to care for patients more effectively, resulting in patients being diagnosed and treated more promptly. We have spent many years planning for the changeover to ensure a smooth transition with minimal disruption to patients. We are entering a new phase of healthcare in St James’s and in Ireland, and we are determined that our patients will benefit from these advances in technology.”

Named ‘Project Oak’ as a reference to the paper that will be saved by going digital, a multi-disciplinary team has spent nearly three years planning for the changeover. This included training staff on how to leverage the new functionality with the introduction of mobile workstations; testing the system and trials on the wards.