Hospitals using PKB can now track COVID-19 screening test results from NHS staff testing at home. This data tracked in PKB is available for export to submit to NHS England’s reports, but it is also integrated into the rest of the staff member’s PKB health record. This allows staff to receive their COVID-19 diagnostic test results from the hospital.
COVID-19 self-swab for healthcare
In some hospitals, ‘asymptomatic COVID-19 testing’ is being made available to patient-facing healthcare staff. This allows staff to regularly carry out and record results from home testing kits in their PKB personal health record.
Using the PKB care plan shown below, results are added and tracked for a single box of Innova SARS-CoV-2 Angtigen Rapid Qualitative Test. For each of the 25 tests in the kit, staff can record the date/time the test was taken and the result itself. This information can be viewed, edited and shared in real-time. Furthermore, the care plan also includes national guidance from the NHS Learning Hub with step-by-step instructions and a video on how to self-administer a ‘Lateral Flow COVID-19 test’.
The immediate benefit is that staff have a record of their results instantly and hospitals have real-time monitoring data to maintain workforce capacity. Furthermore, it also allows hospitals that are required to submit weekly monitoring reports to NHS England, to easily access results from across the hospital with a CSV export from PKB and via the REST API for ‘Care Plans’.
For more information, or to implement this process in your Trust, customers should contact their Success Lead, or email enquiries@patientsknowbest.com.
COVID-19 Information & Advice Care Plan for staff
To further support our customers, we have shared a clinically-verified Care Plan for any patient with lots of helpful information and advice about what they should do if they test positive for COVID-19. Once staff have registered for a PKB account, the care plan can be added by the hospital Team Coordinator so that it is instantly available for all staff in their personal health record.
All PKB care plans show diagnoses, allergies and medications where they have been entered. Within the main body of the care plan, an action plan showing health goals, advice on how to monitor/manage conditions and the option to add videos or links to further resources, are all available. In addition, ‘symptoms’ and ‘measurements’ can also be selected and displayed by the user.
To share this care plan with your staff, please speak to your PKB Success Lead. You can also email us at enquiries@patientsknowbest.com.
‘Grassroots’ clinical transformation
Inviting staff to register for their own personal health record to access their test results has proven to have many other benefits. It offers staff the opportunity to:
- acquire their own personal health record
- securely receive (and share) all their health information including test results
- keep portable, digital copies of test results to access whenever needed i.e. if deployed in other areas of the NHS
- become advocates as experienced PKB users.
Interestingly, we’re finding that this is also one of the best ways to start clinical transformation. When staff are able to personally see and experience the benefits of using PKB, their questions about the value of patients accessing a portable record – or their lack of understanding about how PKB works in practice, is more than often eliminated. Importantly, it also instills trust in the service when a member of staff can talk about their personal experience. This, along with regular incoming clinical data, increases the likelihood that patients will also register when presented with the opportunity.
Other benefits for staff
Like any other PKB users, using their personal PKB account, staff will also have the benefit of seeing any other health information that is added to their record, for example, where they are under the care of a provider that is using PKB to share health data with patients. This means they can also:
- add their own health information i.e identified allergies or details of any medications they are taking
- access and edit care plans
- track symptoms
- keep a journal
- connect wearable devices.
Whilst the record is an important element in the battle against COVID-19, it is also a personal health record for life, ready to be used wherever they are, whenever they need it from any mobile, browser or tablet device with an internet connection.
How can staff register?
Staff can register using their personal email address (NHS email addresses should only be used for ‘professional’ accounts). Individuals will then be notified by email as soon the test result is available in their record.
For further information or support on how to embed any of the processes above, please get in touch.