Hull University Teaching Hospitals Multiple Sclerosis Use Case: Questionnaires
From left to right : Natalie Blay, Multiple Sclerosis Service Coordinator, Michelle Hibbert, Multiple Sclerosis Specialist Nurse, Emma Clarkson, Multiple Sclerosis Specialist Nurse, Dr James Harley, Consultant Neurologist and MS Lead
“It has significantly reduced the calls we receive on our MS helpline number which has helped us manage our calls better and allowing patients, that need advice, to get through easier to us. We are getting the repeat prescriptions done much faster too.”
Introduction
The Problem
Many of the patients with Multiple Sclerosis are put on Sativex and Modafinil for life, requiring them to request regular prescriptions. Patient on Sativex order as needed, depending on usage, however most patients re-order every 4 weeks. With over 200 patients on the medication it's a lot of requests to deal with. Modafinil prescriptions are ordered every 3 months.
Previously these medication requests were made via phone calls, which could take staff between 10-20 minutes per call. It was also an inconvenient and time consuming process for patients, who had to leave messages and wait for a call back if they couldn’t get hold of their clinical team.
The Solution
By using PKB’s questionnaire functionality, patients can now submit their prescription request online at a time of the day to suit them.
For staff this has reduced time significantly from a phone call lasting up to 20 minutes to now accessing the details in PKB which takes 5 minutes.
The time saved has allowed clinical teams to focus more on essential tasks, such as blood monitoring which should be done on a daily basis.
The Process
Outcomes and Future Plans
Following a trial period the Trust conducted an audit which charted a 75% time saving by moving prescription requests to PKB from phone calls:
Benefits identified:
