Identify Consider tools and equipment
It is important to consider tools and equipment within the wider context of the system and to understand how the tools and equipment people use influence their experience and impact how they work and deliver care.
What the data said: Examples of people interacting with equipment
Managing patient information:
Patient details need to be entered and checked several times across different systems and for different purposes, e.g., appointment booking, clinical management, diagnostic equipment, and reporting and communication with GPs.
This creates frustration, delays and can lead to duplication and errors.
Pacemaker software:
The software and programming interfaces used with pacemakers are not standardised.
Staff need to use five different operating systems with different features, and not all interface seamlessly with the configuration and reporting software.
In some instances, data needed to be downloaded onto a memory stick, which can lead to data loss and reporting inaccuracies.