This appeared a few days ago:
SA pathology test results delayed by IT system
By Justin Hendry on May 17, 2018 10:28AM
New staff brought in to clear data backlog.
SA Health has blamed the "data entry requirements" of a new state-wide pathology system for delays in getting blood test results to patients.
Deputy chief executive Don Frater said that "complex initial data-entry requirements” for the enterprise pathology laboratory information system (EPLIS) meant extended wait times for results.
The department said it had brought in 30 staff to try to clear the backlog.
“Since the introduction of EPLIS, we have seen the wait times for some laboratory test results increase for hospitals and GPs,” Frater said in a statement.
“We know timely test results are essential in providing prompt and appropriate care for patients, and these delays have the potential to impact the level of care being provided.”
The department has also set up a taskforce to look into cause of the delays and “recommend any additional action needed to ensure test turnaround times return to normal”.
The taskforce will “review all incidents relating to test delays that have been logged in SA Health’s Safety Learning System”, the department said.
It will also “review the reporting format for the test results and if any errors have occurred as a result” after feedback from clinicians.
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There is more detail here:
SA Health launches taskforce after claims of lost and delayed pathology results caused by new IT system
Lynne Minion | 16 May 2018
Following reports of delays in pathology testing times and lost test results since the introduction of its EPLIS pathology IT system, SA Health has employed 30 extra staff and announced a new taskforce to help fix the problems.
SA Health deputy chief executive Don Frater said the roll out of the new statewide pathology laboratory information system had led to an increase in test turnaround times due to complex initial data-entry requirements.
“Since the introduction of EPLIS we have seen the wait times for some laboratory test results increase for hospitals and GPs,” Frater said.
Blood, urine, tumor and genetic tests have been effected.
“We know timely test results are essential in providing prompt and appropriate care for patients, and these delays have the potential to impact the level of care being provided,” he said.
The $37 million system was initially rolled out at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital in March 2017 and has now been implemented at all South Australian metropolitan hospitals and regional laboratories.
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As well as here:
SA Health blood test delays and lost results blamed on new computer system
Posted
SA Health has employed 30 extra staff and launched a taskforce to investigate blood tests being delayed and even lost because of a new computer system.
Key points
- SA Health blood test results are being delayed or lost
- New computer system blamed
- 30 extra staff employed to fix backlog
The department's deputy chief executive, Don Frater, said as the Enterprise Pathology Laboratory Information System had been implemented across the health network, it had become apparent it was now taking longer for staff to enter data, causing delays when it came to test results.
It is the latest in a series of issues for SA Health, including the poor rollout of the slow and clunky EPAS electronic patient record system, substandard food at the new $2.3 billion Royal Adelaide Hospital and ramping plaguing emergency departments.
"There have been a couple of issues where tests have been delayed longer than a day so we want to find out exactly what the implications were of that," Mr Frater said.
"We have raised with all of our clinicians exactly how to ensure that urgent tests are processed quickly."
The $37 million system was rolled out across government health services last year.
There have also been reports of test results being lost.
Mr Frater said in urgent situations, test results must be returned within an hour.
"It may be bad in the situation whereby you need the test results to determine what the next steps and what the next set of treatment is," he said.
"It could result in patient harm. We need to make sure that we get to the turnaround times that we've had in the past."
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You really do have to wonder what has gone wrong so that the results are slower and 30 extra staff are needed.
Maybe a comment from someone who knows what has really gone on?
David.
3 comments:
David, perhaps this is the sort of situation these proposed test beds the Department of Health is wanting to get going would address early on?
Being able to study the impacts a solution might have into an environment and assessing the behavioural changes both positive and negative, adjusting solutions as needed to get the desired effect just might be of great value.
... or prove the solution is a load of brown stuff.
4:58 PM, yes and that, fail fast fail safely, after all it is all about agility and innovation, linguists labs and co-design coercion.
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