After nearly a year running as a pilot trial, an open source (OS) electronic patient record (EPR) system is due to be rolled out more widely at London's Moorfields Eye Hospital in November 2011.
Bill Aylward, a consultant ophthalmic surgeon at Moorfields, described the thinking behind the development of the ‘OpenEyes’ opthalmology project and the expected benefits, both to patient care and in terms of cost savings, in a UK daily newspaper interview.
According to Mr Aylward, open source might prove more suitable than commercial systems developed for the National Health Service (NHS), such as the care records programme. Instead of high costs – as ‘OpenEyes’ is free software and without licence fees – he believes that with improved efficiencies and the phasing out of paper notes, adopting the OS system could save several million pounds within three years.
One of the main goals Mr Aylward described is that of improved patient care. He explained that the patient information needed by a doctor can be stored in many different repositories, with some trusts being rumoured to have hundreds of different clinical systems in which data might be stored. He added that one of the key aims of ‘OpenEyes’ is to give the doctor access to all the data needed on one screen.
The project is led by Moorfields, but is now receiving increasing support from other ophthalmic units including those at St Thomas' Hospital, Manchester Royal Eye Hospital, Maidstone and Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital. The project website gives screenshots of the software in use and details of the "elements" used for the input and display of clinical data. The documentation available is extensive, and states that the project is committed to "using open, preferably internationally but otherwise more locally agreed standards wherever possible."
Further information:
- ‘OpenEyes’