Records Access & Surgery Capacity

A regular topic at my surgery is 'how do we fit more hours into the day'? Like many other practices, we have a problem matching capacity and demand. So can giving patients access to GP electronic records ease the demand, or will it increase with questions, requests for additional consultations and unhappy patients?

The enthusiasts with experience are reassuring, but there is probably no substitute for trying ourselves. So I have to be clear within my practice, everything we try to do with records access must be prioritised to ease demand and improve capacity, or the project will loose support very rapidly. But can such aspirations become a reality while still delivering advantages for patients? I am hoping the answer is rapidly confirmed to be YES!

My plan is to target patients who are already heavy users of surgery services, and to explore how access to particular record elements may enable them to self-manage conditions with more confidence and convenience. In many cases these will be individuals with 'long term conditions', or ongoing treatment requiring monitoring. IF I can improve the experience and convenience for patients, maintain quality of care, AND reduce demand on surgery contacts, the use of technology will have scored a notable success. Other studies in the UK and worldwide seem to suggest a reduction in face-to-face and telephone contacts is a likely consequence.

To look at all these issues I will have to persuade some patients to answer structured questions, to clearly identify where contacts have been reduced, and to audit 'markers of quality care'. I am not expecting to rapidly recruit dozens of volunteer patients, but to target selected individuals thought more likely to benefit, but also to have an open offer to 'patient enthusiasts'. The additional effort and resource to monitor and audit may not be possible in many practices - so let me take some of the pain for you!

I would be interested to know what questions others would ask, of patients considering or using the service, of practice staff and about outcome measures - ideas welcome.

Now checking to see if the system works……