Launch of the Gynaecology Electronic Chart
Cork University Maternity Hospital, 28th July 2019
Background
The introduction of an Electronic Health Record (EHR) the Maternal and Newborn Clinical Management System (MN-CMS) for all women and babies receiving maternity services in Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH), University Hospital Kerry (UHK), the Rotunda, and the National Maternity Hospital (NMH) has transformed the way in which care is delivered and recorded. This clinical management system has enhanced care as it allows electronically recorded clinical information to be shared easily with relevant providers of care, as and when required through the use of a technology enabled solution.
As a result of the review of the Phase 1 sites implementation, the requirement to extend this functionality to enhance the Gynaecology service was identified. Consequently, the Gynaecology project was commenced in 2018 with a plan to roll out to the 4 aforementioned live sites, prior to the roll-out of MN-CMS to the remaining 15 maternity sites in Ireland.
With the patient as its’ primary focus, the Gynaecology electronic chart will also ensure that all clinically relevant information recorded at each MN-CMS gynaecology hospital encounter will form an integrated record. This will enable better, safer healthcare as it supports improvements in care processes, monitors quality and safety of care delivery and reduces the possibility of errors
MN-CMS Gynaecology Electronic Chart Go –Live
Clinical Director, Professor John Higgins in CUMH with the local implementation team (LIT), in conjunction with the MN-CMS national project team and back office, the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OoCIO) and Cerner, are delighted to announce that CUMH has become the first fully digital hospital in Ireland from the 28th July 2019. All women interacting with CUMH for gynaecology services from that date will have a complete electronic health record, enabling the rapid sharing of clinical information to those providing care for the over 18,000 patients who attend each year.
CUMH is the first site in Ireland to extend the use of MN-CMS to include gynaecology care. The other sites using MN-CMS, The Rotunda Hospital, National Maternity Hospital & University Hospital Kerry, will also adopt the change in the coming months.
Benefits
The extension of the use of the system will bring with it significant benefits to the care for the region’s patients requiring gynaecology care. The key benefits of MN-CMS electronic health records include:
Better healthcare provision by improving all aspects of patient care, including:
- Improved patient experience
- Improved patient safety and care - risk reduction/avoidance
- More efficient delivery of health services
- Improved patient care as a result of better communication, supported decision making and effective planning of care
- Improved medication safety by optimising and standardising medication use processes
- More effective and efficient recording of information reflecting best standards in documentation
- Enhanced clinical audit and research locally as a result of better quality data
- Informed business intelligence that will drive local and national management decisions
The local implementation team (LIT) play a key role in the realisation of these benefits
Who are the LIT? The LIT includes dedicated representatives from clinical, administrative, bio-med and ICT staff and is led by the local MN-CMS Project Manager. In addition, the LIT is supported by the HSE National Project Team (NPT), National Back Office (NBO) and the Cerner team. Both the HSE and Cerner teams have leads across key areas such as change management, migration, testing, training and reporting.
CUMH Local Project Implementation Team:
Pictured: Orflaith O’Sullivan, Consultant Obstetrician & Gynaecologist; Elmarie Cottrell: MN-CMS Clinical Informatics Pharmacist; Deirdre Moriarty: MN-CMS Training Co-ordinator; Mary Rose Dennehy, CUH IT; Ann Horgan, Nurse CUMH; Pauline Kennedy, Project Manager; Nilima Pandit: MN-CMS System Administrator; Lorna O’Sullivan, Secretary to CUMH Director of Midwifery.