SIVUH extends pioneering online referral system

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Written by Mary O’ Keeffe

Thursday, 23 July 2009

Patents and GPs alike are set to benefit from the expansion of a pioneering online referral system at the South infirmary Victoria Hospital (SIVUH). In recent times, the hospital has extended its a secure online referral system to allow GPs across Munster to refer their patients to any one of 16 of the clinics at the Cork hospital in just minutes.

The hospital's online referral scheme was first introduced on a pilot basis back in 2006 for the hospital's Chest Pain Assessment Unit (CPAU).

According to SIVUH’s IT and Management Services Manager, Ronan O’Connell this pilot was originally introduced to improve the hospital’s ability to efficiently refer patients to the hospital’s consultants. “Part of the reason we decided to go down this road is that historically, we would receive patient referrals to our out-patient services by handwritten letter or fax from GPs and these sometimes generate difficulties due to their legibility – or lack of it.

"Not only can this lead to the less-than-optimal use of clerical officers' time and delays in issuing appointments, but – more seriously – incorrect or insufficient patient details can potentially have serious consequences to patient care," he said.

Following the initial success of the electronic OPD referrals pilot scheme, it was expanded to include SIVUH's Breast Clinic and once again it proved to be very beneficial for GPs and patients, as well as hospital clerical staff who found the system to be an invaluable aid in avoiding errors and ensuring comprehensive patient care. Since the introduction of the service, some 170 doctors from across Munster have signed up to use it and it is expected that many more will follow suit as the benefits become more widely understood.

The hospital's IT Manager said that since first commencing the scheme the hospital has received a lot of positive feedback from GPS across the region and said that while there is a long way to go with the potential of this system and its applications for hospitals throughout Ireland, he is confident that for the relatively small investment in its development, it is more than paying for itself.

A total of sixteen SIVUH clinics are now accessible to General Practitioners online and more are being added as the efficacy of the system is being more widely appreciated and its benefits become more apparent.

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