Simone Veronese
Fondazione FARO onlus, Torino
Italy
The implementation of the electronic medical record in a specialist palliative care unit
Background
FARO foundation is adopting a new electronic chart system for patients data management. A PROMs tool is already in use in paper version (IPOS). Its use is to be implemented and ameliorated in the different settings of care (home care, hospices). Other tools, such as the Phase of Illness, the Zarit Care givers burden short form and the Views on Care (suggested by the OACC group CSI London) should be used for a better screening of the patients and carers on admission and to improve the Patient’s Individual Plan of Care throughout the assistance.
Problems are that IPOS is used in FARO services, but being on paper format data are lost, scarcely used, not leading to clinical or assistential decisions and not properly shared among the team members.
Often MDT members prefer using the staff version because they do not feel at ease asking the patients, many questions are skipped or interpreted.
Aim
The strategic purpose of the project is to exploit this phase of change in data management to implement the use of already existing measures (IPOS, Karnofsky) and to introduce the new ones (phase of illness)
We think that using electronic charts will make easier to administer IPOS and to collect and analyse data
Methods / Process
Create a working group in FARO to achieve the outcome
Explore the views of professionals using IPOS in the 3 different settings in FARO (home care team and 2 hospice ward) through focus groups
Adopting a clinical audit process to implement and improve the use of outcome measurement and a better use of the individual plan of care
Intended Outputs / impact
At the end of the project we aim to use IPOS with patients enrolled in our service, in an electronic format, on regular bases (not only at admission and after 1 week as it is now happening)
We want to make the most of the information gathered with IPOS, feeling more confident in administration of the questionnaire, choosing the proper version based on patients’ characteristics. We want to use IPOS data, (matched with other information like phase of illness, KPS and perhaps others like the Barthel index or the Zarit CG index short version) to properly make the individual plan of care, based on patients’ needs, and evaluate the results.