Nurses go digital to improve patient experience

Withybush Hospital’s Ward 11 has been chosen to pilot the first phase of a national project established to transform nursing documentation and creating a digital way of working.

The pilot, taking place during February 2020, will involve nursing staff completing adult inpatient assessments and core risk assessments in relation to falls, pressure damage, pain, continence, nutrition and manual handling, using the latest tablet based technology rather than paper forms. These areas have been chosen based on frequency of use, and those that have the biggest potential to improve patient assessment, inform care planning and enhance patient safety and outcomes.

Mandy Rayani, Director of Nursing, Quality & Patient Experience at Hywel Dda University Health Board said: “This is an exciting opportunity for us to be involved in and to influence the future of e-nursing for the benefit of both nursing staff and patients.

“We’re delighted to be working with the NHS Wales Informatics Service (NWIS) and colleagues across NHS Wales to test the benefits of moving to digital nursing documentation. This new way of working will follow the patient through their healthcare journey, using the same standardised nursing language to reduce duplication and improve patient experience and care.”

Rachel Owen, Senior Sister added: “The team are getting excited about going digital! We’re looking forward to developing new skills and leading the way towards smarter, patient-centred ways of working”.

The pilot is being led by clinical representatives from each health board and trust in Wales to ensure it is fit for purpose, patient focused and aligns to nursing processes.

The experience, learning and feedback from the pilot will help to inform the future digitalisation of nursing documentation and potential national rollout of the programme at a later stage.