In October 2021, Bravis hospital in the Dutch province of Noord-Brabant updated its electronic health record (EHR) HiX to version 6.2 with standard open content. Bravis uses the HiX standard open content as a basis for its digital plans for the future. In these plans, the hospital explicitly focuses on digital processes, more control for the patient, and reducing the registration burden for the care providers.
Albert-Jan Mante, member of the hospital's executive board, explains: 'Bravis' vision for 2030 puts patients and staff first. What's important to our patients is that our care is provided efficiently and, if possible, close to home. For our staff it is important to be able to register data in a uniform way. This reduces their registration burden, allowing them to provide care more efficiently. We also want to make it easier to exchange data with other parties – other hospitals, GPs, and of course the patients themselves.
Blood bank
One of the functionalities in the standard open content is a new solution that streamlines the entire process for the hospital blood bank: processing requests, registering received products, linking blood products to patients, registering distributions (including a track and trace system), blood product administrations, and registering any transfusion reactions that may occur. Bravis is the first hospital in the Netherlands to implement this integrated solution.
Intelligent clinical noting
The standard open content also contains a clinical noting functionality that uses the Golden Label Method (GLM) to allow physicians to intuitively register data. Casper Kammeijer, MIO and gynaecologist at Bravis hospital, is looking forward to using this functionality: 'I hope this will give us structure, most of all. For example, when you see a patient for the first time, you will be able to register all complaints in a structured way. And in the background, all orders that would have had to be sent manually, are now sent automatically, based on the data that users register.'
More time to care for the patient
For nine months, the team worked hard on the implementation of the new EHR with standard open content. This content makes it even easier for patients to schedule their appointments and view findings in the online patient portal. The advantage of this is that hospital staff spends less time registering data, meaning they get to spend more time on patient care. Albert-Jan Mante says: 'With over 500 people from all kinds of departments in our organisation, we all gave our best to make this implementation a success. The board is very proud of this accomplishment, because it was a huge project in a difficult time; due to COVID-19, much of our work had to be done remotely.'
HiX as the foundation
In its plans for the future, Bravis considers the electronic health record the foundation for further developments. Care group manager Arnoud Slooff explains: 'We really want the entire hospital to work in a single system. It's great as well that we are able to link applications that complement the work processes of the care staff to the EHR. When physicians are in a consultation with a patient, they have to be able to see the patient's complete clinical picture in HiX.'
In the picture
Albert-Jan Mante, member of the board of Bravis hospital (left) and Bastiaan van der Zeijst, programme manager (right), counting down to the HiX 6.2 go-live.
