UU work with clinicians to improve local healthcare

University of Ulster researchers are working with clinicians at one of Northern Ireland’s leading hospitals on novel ways to harness information and communication technology to provide a better service to patients.

The collaboration between UU, Ulster Hospital and the Ulster Community & Hospitals Trust is investigating how technology can be used to improve patient access to information and services.

An initial project aims to improve breastfeeding rates within the Trust, by providing mothers with localized web based information from the ‘baby friendly’ unit and to provide an electronic communication channel to the nurses. Additional developments provide information on chronic pain management and provide referral information between GPs and the doctors for assessing stroke patients.

Co-ordinator, Dr Paul McCullagh from UU’s School of Computing and Mathematics, said: “These are the first steps towards providing patients with an improved, localised service where they will be able to access information to enable them to better manage their health requirements.

“The health environment is set to change dramatically in the coming years and our collaboration with the Ulster Hospital is the shape of things to come.”

It is hoped that the initiative, known as the Ulster Institute for eHealth, will benefit from improved IT infrastructure in the form of electronic patient records; electronic appointment booking; electronic transfer of images and electronic prescribing.

(MB/SP)