“GPs don’t fully realise what IT could do for them”

(HealthTech Wire / ProJour) - When a healthcare IT product is launched, physicians and IT managers are eager to find out what its users have to say about the software’s performance in a hospital or practice. HealthTech Wire talked to Dr Neil Paul, a general practitioner at the Ashfields Primary Care Centre in Sandbach, Cheshire, UK, about reviewing software for the healthcare market. Dr Paul is part of the primary care trust’s professional executive committee, an avid user of IT products and a regular writer of product reviews.

Published: 07/08/2009

Dr Neil Paul writes a monthly column on the Microsoft NHS website as well as for GP newspaper, E-Health Insider and other healthcare magazines in the UK. Most of his product reviews are the result of software implementations at his primary care centre. He recently wrote some in-depth product reviews on the latest digital dictation software installed at the practice, including the reasons for the implementation and the benefits for the medical staff and patients. His motivation for informing other physicians about new products is to promote the average general practitioner’s level of IT knowledge. “Most GPs are fairly knowledgeable when it comes to using standard software such as Microsoft Office. But they very often fail to realise what IT can do for them. In many cases it could make their lives so much simpler,” says Dr Paul.

His main criterion for the evaluation of IT products is ease of use. “The IT product should always be easier to use than a paper-based system,” says Dr Paul. He looks closely at the user interface, and tries to establish how the average member of the medical staff would cope with the new tool. How quickly can someone with no background in IT work out how to print a document? Will they need to refer to the manual or call a support hotline to find out how the new system works? The 17 physicians employed at the primary care trust have a wide range of IT experience; their feedback shows Dr Paul how much time the average GP is prepared to spend learning new software. “Training is a big issue,” says the physician. “At our practice, just like most NHS facilities in the UK, we lack both time and a big budget for training. The new IT product should be easy enough to use so that training can be given without using too many resources.”

In his many years of reviewing products, IT advocate Dr Paul has seldom come across a product which he wouldn’t recommend to fellow GPs. Sometimes his recommendation will be limited to very experienced users in cases where a product needs a lot of IT experience or training. The financial investment is another important criterion, as cost-effectiveness is an issue with most NHS facilities. “Our IT investments are partly paid by the NHS and partly paid out of our own pockets,” says the GP. Another obstacle he sees is a major change in business. If working processes need to be significantly altered in order to integrate the IT software into daily working routines, Dr Paul’s expectations in terms of the usefulness and the benefits of the software are increased dramatically.

Dr Paul sometimes stumbles across interesting software while visiting a conference. Occasionally, a vendor will also send him a copy of the software to try it out. “I’m always happy to provide some positive criticism during the early stages of development,” he says. For this reason, he is also involved in beta testing, which gives him an opportunity to improve the software before it is brought to market. “I’m sure there’s a lot of software out there that we are unaware of but which would be ideal for many GPs,” says Dr Paul. He encourages companies to send him their software product for a free trial. “I’m always looking for new ways to help GPs improve the way they work.”

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