With much of the NHS still stuck in the analogue age, outdated systems and siloed patient data are causing headaches for healthcare professionals and patients alike. Reports of doctors having to enter seven passwords just to access the information they need whilst patient satisfaction hits a record low with less than 25% of people stating that they are satisfied with the NHS in Britain makes for a bleak picture.
Healthcare institutions should be prioritising how their data is managed, stored, and shared across estates. The lack of unity and siloes puts sensitive patient data at risk, meaning that healthcare leaders may face hefty compliance fines, and patients may receive delayed support or a decrease in quality of care as a result.
As we look to the future, digitisation will be crucial to bring healthcare operations up to par – especially for a sector that handles such sensitive data and where efficiency gains can mean lives saved. Digitising patient touchpoints will give healthcare professionals a detailed picture of every patient’s medical history and ensure compliance with rules on data transparency.
But how do we deliver effective document management and ensure that digitised records are as safe and secure as the patients listed in them? And what role can AI and automation play in lessening the load on overstretched healthcare professionals?
Digitally-powered data compliance
More sensitive data means more scrutiny of data management. The NHS highlights the importance of looking after patient data carefully to adhere with the Data Protection Act (DPA), Common Law Duty of Confidentiality (CLDC), and GDPR. The DPA for example outlines that consent has to meet certain guidelines to be valid such as being used for a clearly defined purpose and being withdrawable – as easy to withdraw the data as it is to give it. However, outdated systems and disparate data make it difficult for NHS bodies to fulfil these requirements.
Creating a frictionless experience for busy healthcare professionals is crucial. Staff need to understand what data they can share, how they should share it, and what data should be deleted after a given time. A robust content services platform that centralises patient data improves this regulatory compliance by providing a complete oversight of record history and a single source of truth. Through this platform, medical professionals can share information securely and power automated retention policies that manage documentation throughout its lifecycle, ensuring compliance with regulations and retention laws.
This effective document management and record keeping should be scalable and flexible, allowing for changes in existing workflows and evolving regulatory requirements.
Protecting sensitive patient data through effective document management
Regulatory compliance is just one piece of the cybersecurity puzzle. Ageing IT infrastructure and legacy systems leave patient data vulnerable to cyber attacks that have the potential to affect real lives. For instance, the recent Synnovis attack led to the leak of 400GB of sensitive data and sparked huge impacts for end-users with the cancellation of thousands of medical procedures.
By introducing effective patient data management, healthcare professionals can also streamline security efforts and reduce the risk of cyber attacks. Healthcare institutions should manage all patient data and customer information with secure storage, encryption, and stringent access controls through a platform that can track user activities and provide detailed audit trails of document access and modifications.
What’s more, this digitalised data management gives healthcare providers the opportunity to use AI. They can use this to integrate various data sources, including patient information and medical records, into the Electronic Health Record (EHR) system, creating a comprehensive view of a patient’s health history. Healthcare providers can also use AI to optimise medical records management, facilitating secure and centralised storage of medical records. This enables authorised staff to access information quickly and efficiently, while adhering to regulations. Automation can also streamline record lifecycles, minimising manual work and potential compliance fines.
Taking the heat off healthcare professionals
In addition to data security benefits, AI and automation can automate many manual tasks to free up valuable time for clinicians, who can then focus on delivering improved patient care. A snapshot survey of NHS and social care managers found that 20% spent seven to eight hours a day on admin – valuable time that could be spent helping patients.
In the NHS, technology and systems can be varied across a healthcare estate. With cloud-based integrations, healthcare leaders can synchronise their estate’s legacy processes and technologies with new solutions, allowing clinicians, physicians, staff, and patients to access their records anywhere, anytime. Weaving in powerful workflow automation can also immediately reduce admin headaches. Automation easily captures and populates information between departments, eliminating the need for manual data entry and wasted time looking through physical paperwork.
In fact, AI could save clinicians four hours of admin time each week. This could be through automating patient communication such as appointment scheduling and sending post-operative reminders. It could mean the improvement of clinical decision-making, where AI can analyse large quantities of clinical data to identify patterns and trends that can inform better treatment decisions. It could also mean enhancing healthcare data exchange, where AI can easily capture and integrate various types of patient data, including demographics, insurance information, and medical records. This not only ensures accurate data processing, but also allows for quick retrieval of information.
How healthcare providers manage their data is fast becoming a top priority. Whether healthcare providers are looking to remain compliant, protect data, or weave in time-saving technologies like AI and automation, effective document management will be vital to success.
Article by Grace Nam, Strategic Solutions Manager, Healthcare, at Laserfiche
