Background During 2015, our organisation started using the Integrated Palliative Outcome Score (IPOS) questionnaire in the Day Therapy environment as part of a three-month pilot. Efforts were made to manage the IPOS data within SystmOne, but the lack of specific read-coding prevented the development of a template. Various other solutions including bespoke IT systems were investigated.

In 2016, our organisation’s Clinical Systems Lead worked with TPP (creators of SystmOne) to develop unique local (Y) codes for the IPOS, which has enabled data to be directly captured and compared within SystmOne.

Aim To record IPOS data directly within SystmOne, to help deliver and evaluate high quality patient care as set out by the Cicely Saunders Institute (OACC Project).

Methods After IPOS codes were published, the Clinical Systems Lead worked collaboratively with other professionals, both internal and external, to create a functional SystmOne IPOS clinical template, which could be used across all clinical services and shared with other Healthcare organisations.

Results

• Able to capture individual patient symptoms and concerns, and display the outcomes over time, for example at multi-disciplinary meetings

• Outcome measures can be used for clinical care, audit and research; enhancing information sharing

• Enable the improvement of individual patient care and easier evaluation of outcomes across different care services

• Enable compliance with the new national dataset for specialist palliative care

• Support informed strategic decisions around service outcomes and developments, including training needs for staff

• Electronic record of outcome measures enables improved access to accurate patient data

• Changes in patients’ health status can be monitored and themes identified.

Conclusion Collaboration between palliative organisations and direct engagement with the developers of an electronic care record has enabled better recording and data handling for patient outcome measures within the existing clinical system. This work is being shared nationally.