South Canterbury District Health BoardFriday 27 August 2010, 3:00PM
Media release from South Canterbury District Health
Board
The transfer of hospital patients between South Canterbury and
Canterbury will go more smoothly from September.
TestSafe South is a secure online database that can be used to
access patient lab results. Canterbury DHB recently introduced
TestSafe South, and South Canterbury DHB is working in partnership
with Canterbury to introduce it starting next month.
This means laboratory results from tests performed at one district
health board will become immediately available online to hospital
clinicians working at both Canterbury and South Canterbury
DHBs.
There are also plans to use TestSafe South to make test results
available to the patient's General Practitioner further down the
track.
Sharing lab results will improve and speed up patient care,
especially when patients are transferred by helicopter from Timaru
Hospital to Christchurch Hospital in an emergency. The results of
lab tests carried out at Timaru Hospital will be immediately
available to doctors in Christchurch.
It will also help in situations where Christchurch patients are
treated at Timaru Hospital, or South Canterbury patients are
referred to specialists in Christchurch for further advice or
treatment.
South Canterbury DHB chief medical officers Bill Taine says that up
to now, doctors and nurses only had some of the test results
available to them.
"The value of having the full picture of a patient's tests in front
of a doctor or nurse at the point of care is huge," he says. "It
will lead to more appropriate care and less duplication of lab
tests."
"The ability to see Christchurch results will advantage those
patients who present at Timaru Hospital with a problem after
treatment in Christchurch. It will be much more of an advantage to
the GP referred-patient as well, as there will not be any
duplication of previous tests."
Information about the introduction of TestSafe South at Canterbury
DHB is available online at: www.cdhb.govt.nz/communications/media/2010/150410.htm
General information about TestSafe South is also available at: www.testsafe.co.nz