A recent survey from the Royal College of Nursing highlighted the amount of paperwork nurses and clinicians have to carry out, with its findings that nurses spend 2.5 million hours per week on paperwork. Digital writing technology is now being deployed extensively by savvy Trusts across the UK to save on unnecessary multiple form filling that takes medical practitioners away from patient care. The drive for a digital NHS was further highlighted by the £260million technology fund announced by Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt last month that called for the drive towards digitising patient notes.
One such Board that has deployed the digital writing technology includes NHS Western Isles. It is now using a combination of Anoto digital pens to record patient information and transmit the notes electronically through mobile phones. "The benefit to the patient is that the notes can be kept and updated in the patients' home," says NHS Western Isles eHealth project officer, Christine Chlad. "The information recorded whilst a nurse is with a patient is available within 15 seconds of being sent. The solution is incredibly scalable and has given more time for our staff to dedicate to patient care."
The solution has enabled NHS Western Isles to dedicate more that 5,000 additional patient visits per year due to not having to return to the office between visits to re-enter information from patient visits. Additionally NHS Western Isles realised a return on investment (ROI) in 10 months after deployment and has been praised by high-ranking government officials.
"Digital writing technology has transformed the way in which NHS Boards can operate. The technology not only allows for handwritten notes to be digitised live, it also enables clinicians to share patient data and collaborate more effectively," says Robert Bakewell, General Manager, Anoto Ltd. "With over 4,400 pens now in active use within across the entire NHS, the technology allows Trusts and Health Boards to achieve ROI and cost savings well within the required period of 18-months."
In Scotland, the successful adoption of the pens by several NHS Boards has been noted by the Scottish Government's cabinet secretary for health and wellbeing, Alex Neil who predicted that the technology will become even more widespread once others see the benefits of the technology.
"The pens tick every single box you could think of," says Neil. "The pens are better for the patients in terms of patient care and patient safety, they improve enormously the amount of quality time the community nurses can spend with the patients, and they could also lead to many other applications in the future. I think this is the start of something big, which will go national very quickly once other people see the benefits of it. It's a fantastic idea and I congratulate all those involved in taking it forward so successfully."
Altogether over 60 separate NHS organisations across the UK have deployed Anoto's digital writing technology in a variety of departments, such as maternity, mental health, community care, ambulance services, or accident and emergency and are using in excess of 4,400 pens.
About Anoto Group
Anoto Group AB is a global leader in digital writing solutions, which enables fast and reliable transmission of handwriting into a digital format. Anoto operates worldwide through a global partner network that delivers user-friendly digital writing solutions for efficient capture, transmission, distribution and storage of data. Anoto is currently in use across multiple business segments, e.g. healthcare, banking and finance, transportation and logistics and education. The Anoto Group has around 130 employees and is headquartered in Lund (Sweden). The company also has offices in Basingstoke, Guildford and Wetherby (UK), Amsterdam (NL), Boston (US) and Tokyo (Japan). The Anoto share is traded on the Small Cap list of NASDAQ OMX Stockholm under the ticker ANOT.