The devices provide secure access to the DHB’s systems and internet so staff don’t have to return to the office to enter notes of gather information.
“Community staff spend most of their time in patients’ environments – including homes and workplaces,” said allied health services manager Chantalle Corbett.
“The iPads let them spend more time with patients, provide the most recent information on the spot, and show pictures of equipment and rehabilitation techniques.
Photos can also be taken and attached to a patient’s clinical notes – giving hospital clinicians and the family doctors a better idea of a patient’s condition and home environment.
“Feedback we’ve received is that family doctors really see the value in what we’re doing, with one describing the initiative as being ‘worth its weight in gold’.
“Having the right information when and where we need it lets us give patients and families more confidence and comfortable because they’re getting the advice they need to understand the recovery or treatment process.”
Image: Community physiotherapist Fiona Gamble is one of 52 staff who can now spend more time with patients in the community.
Media contact: Name – Chas Te Runa – 027 230 9571
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