IMS MAXIMS, a leading provider of clinical information systems, is implementing software into NHS trusts that will ensure risk assessments take place that will help to significantly reduce the number of preventable deaths caused by VTE in UK hospitals every year.
In June 2010 the Department of Health required that VTE (Venous thromboembolism) risk assessments take place for each adult patient who is admitted to hospital. In addition, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommended that all adult inpatients should be assessed for risk of developing thrombosis on a regular basis, including 24 hours after admission, whenever their medical condition changes and at discharge.
Despite this, increasing pressures on staff workloads mean that assessments are not always carried out or closely monitored and even when they are, healthcare professionals may fail to record the activity and outcomes.
The IMS MAXIMS VTE System enables clinicians to identify, review and input VTE assessment details in line with the national target.
When a relevant patient is admitted they will be flagged as requiring a “VTE Risk Assessment” to be completed. The admission date and time of the inpatient episode is used for the alert to highlight any breach of the set national target of completing a “VTE Risk Assessment” within 24 hours of admission.
In addition, a work-list screen is provided with relevant search criteria that will enable clinicians to retrieve current inpatients requiring a VTE Risk Assessment. The work-list also provides functionality to allow the clinician to select and record the VTE Risk Assessment for the patient's inpatient episode. The work-lists clearly show patients who have breached the 24 hour period and contains functionality to show those approaching the breach limit based on a pre-determined alert time.
Finally, when a patient is discharged, the MAXIMS ADT functionality ensures that if a patient was flagged as requiring a VTE Risk Assessment and it was not completed, a warning dialog is displayed to the healthcare professional.
Shane Tickell, CEO of IMS MAXIMS: "A UK survey suggested that 71% of patients assessed to be at medium or high risk of developing deep vein thrombosis did not receive any form of preventative treatment.
"In addition to the functionality that IMS MAXIMS traditionally provides around electronic patient records, IMS MAXIMS is working towards a model of prevention rather than cure - where conditions are identified and acted upon as soon as possible to improve patient outcomes and reduce the overarching pressure on our healthcare system."
About IMS MAXIMS
IMS MAXIMS is an electronic patient record provider working towards better, safer patient care. Specialists in developing clinical and administrative software solutions for healthcare providers, IMS MAXIMS currently supports more than 150 organisations, 11 million patient records in the UK, and 1.9 million patient records in Ireland, approx 50% of the population, as well as 20,000 users of IMS MAXIMS products.
IMS MAXIMS is at the heart of the clinical and administrative life of everything from large UK and Irish hospitals, to small specialist independent clinics. It gives patient data to clinicians in exactly the format they need, and allows it to be shared with colleagues and updated in real-time. MAXIMS suits any clinical specialism and is excellent for order communications and reporting. Medical and administrative records can be kept fully up to date, with minimum effort. MAXIMS is web-based so there is no need to install software on computers or invest in expensive extra hardware.