Recording Demographic Details

Back to Basics

Kay Fairy & Pip WardleICT Services

22nd January 2010

Every week NUH produce thousands of letters and reports which are destined for Patients and G.P’s.

Hundreds of these letters and reports are never received, or are received late because we had out of date or incorrect demographic details on our Hospital Systems.

This guide covers the basic principles of capturing and recording Patient Demographic Details on PAS.

Introduction

Ask Patients the ‘Right’ QuestionsUse every opportunity - Check Patient Demographic Details (e.g. at Outpatient Reception, in the Emergency Department or on Admission)

Always ask the Patient to confirm their;– Registered G.P & Practice– Home Address– Home & Mobile Telephone Number– Ethnic Group & Overseas Visitor Status (if not already recorded)

DO - Ask ‘Open’ Questions

“Could you confirm the name of your registered G.P and Practice Address”

DON’T - Ask questions that require a Yes or No answer

“Are you still with the same G.P” OR “Has anything changed since the last time you came”?

If any details have changed… Ask for the date the change took place.

Unsure of spellings? Ask the Patient to verbally spell or write the word for you.

Update Systems / Casenotes

Update hospital systems immediately after a change has been identified.

Enter the date the change took place (don’t automatically enter ‘today’s date)

Take care when selecting the G.P from the pick list availableRemember• Lots of G.P have the same name• The same G.P can work at different surgeries• Health Centres often house more than one surgery• The list of G.P’s is often displayed on more than one page

Use different search criteria to find the correct G.P• Search by name only or address only• Search by a combination of name and address• Use a ‘National’ search to find ‘out of area’ G.P’s

Remove old front sheet and labels from casenotes, and replace with updated version.

Patients not registered with a G.P / G.P Unknown

Where it is not possible to enter a valid G.P Name & Practice, either because the Patient is not registered with a G.P or does not know their G.P, enter the appropriate ‘dummy’ G.P code in the ‘National Code’ field.

G9999981 Patient not registered with a G.P

G9999998 G.P Unknown Use Right arrow key to display page 2, and select G.P-Unknown from the list available

Know the G.P, but not available to select?

Enter the G.P’s Name and Practice Address

in full

Please Note;

The Data Quality Team routinely follow-up on G.P’s that unknown to the system.

On occasions where you have unsuccessfully tried to find the G.P Name and Practice using various search options, you may enter the G.P details using the ‘Free Text’ option.

G.P Ceased Practicing

Where a Patient is still showing as being registered with a G.P that has ceased practicing, the G.P Name and Practice must be updated with;

An alternative G.P Name & Practice Address

OR

Where the Patient has not re-registered with a new G.P, G9999981 ‘Not registered with a G.P’ should be entered.

StudentsCorrespondence AddressStudents often prefer correspondence to be sent to an alternative address.

Use the Mailing Address field, rather than the ‘Address’ field to record this address – don’t forget to add an ‘end date’

G.P Name & AddressStudents are often referred by a G.P Practice on a University Campus, but are still REGISTERED with a G.P from their home town.

In this scenario, the G.P Name and Practice on the ‘G.P Details’ screen should show the registered G.P from their Home Town, however the referring G.P (a field found on Outpatient and Waiting List screens) should reflect the name of the G.P on the University Campus who referred the Patient.

Prisoners / Ministry of Defence

Patients currently serving a Prison Sentence

Address: Always enter the Prison Address. Never record the Prisoners Home Address

G.P: Return past the G.P name and enter dummy code P9999998 in the ‘National’ code field. Pick the relevant Prison from the list available.

Patients serving in the Armed Forces

Address: Enter the Patients preferred address

G.P Return past the G.P name and enter dummy code A9999998 in the ‘National’ code field. Pick the relevant MOD Barracks from the list available

Finally… Remember the 3 Golden Rules

Don’t assume that the Demographic Details you see on the screen are correct, even if the Patient visit the hospital regularly – always check!

Use every opportunity to check Demographic Details with a Patient (e.g. at the Point of Admission, attending an Outpatient Appointment, or presenting in the Emergency Department)

Use OPEN Questions when asking a Patient to confirm their details. Don’t use questions that require a ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ answer!