University College London Hospital tracks patients using app

University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH) has developed an app to view patients’ results and track them in hospital.

The trust has worked with IT supplier CGI to create the iOS app, called FindMyPatient, which users claim saves, on average, half an hour a day. 

Clinicians can use the app to look up imaging and pathology results, as well as noting which bed the patient is in to keep track of them as they move around different wards. Previously, clinicians needed to use a printout from hospital terminals, or phone the wards to find the patient.

After trialling the app over the past three months, the trust is considering rolling it out across UCLH.

Colorectal consultant at UCLH, Richard Cohen, said the app has made a real difference to his ability to access patient information. “The app is a great example of how well-conceived IT can help clinicians balance the pressures of modern healthcare,” he added.

Because the app is tailored to smartphones and tablets, consultants who are on call – but not necessarily in the hospital – can see how their patients are doing without having to phone the ward.

“One of the great advantages is that I can use the app outside the hospital to review the patients under my care, which was previously complicated. The app is a real step forward in facilitating patient care,” said Cohen.

UCLH already uses CGI’s e-CareLogic electronic patient record system. In September 2014, CGI and UCLH signed a commercialisation agreement to offer the system to other trusts. The system lets users access patient information through clinician, GP and patient access portals.

UCLH is one of a small number of trusts that already offer patients access to its UCL MacMillan Cancer Centre patient portal, where cancer patients or assigned family members can access clinic letters, check appointments and communicate with clinicians.