Moving to Vision

Karen McDonald from Bruntsfield Medical Practice in Edinburgh moved to Vision in May 2009. Karen is responsible for the ICT and Data Support at the practice.

Karen highlights the best aspects of moving to Vision, “We had very close contact with our Account Manager and the Implementation Manager. They made the process very clear to us in advance and kept in regular contact throughout the migration period.  Having such a clear idea of the process allowed the practice to carefully plan ahead and maintain a level of control and flexibility over our normal working day during such a disruptive time. We were given clear lists of recommended prep work to help with the smooth conversion of our data over to Vision, and the guys at Data Services were very approachable and easy to work with after the conversion, coming up with fixes for the few data errors we found. The INPS Trainers were also very accommodating about changing their normal training schedule for new practices to suit our unique needs.”

Karen loves the fact that Vision is so flexible, “I like that Vision has a very customisable look through the different Views that are available, which can be system, practice or personally defined. It means that the display can be adapted to accommodate the wide range of job roles, as well as IT skills, that you'll find in General Practice. It's quick and easy to get an idea of the patient's past medical history, as there are a variety of ways to look through a patient record and find the information you're looking for, through the Structured Data Area and the Initial Filter, through the use of Problem Headings, as well as the free text search box that was introduced recently.”

Providing people like Karen with tools that allow them to deliver the best quality patient care is the ultimate aim for INPS. “Through the creation of my own custom-made guidelines, I can keep the clinical coding within the practice consistent, and because it's all done at the click of a button, the clinical staff aren't expected to remember what needs to be coded.  Because of that, my searches are now much easier and more accurate. I have fallen in love with the Vision Patient Groups module! When used in conjunction with the Search and Reports, and Clinical Audit modules, it makes it so easy to import, manipulate and export various patient lists, not to mention generate mail merge letters, and bulk code entries into the medical history.  It's helped me take what used to be a clunky, laborious, paper-based chore of a process into a slick, speedy, completely IT based task.”

Karen describes the relationship between INPS and her practice as collaborative. “Not only are they incredibly helpful with any questions or problems I might have, but they are very open to our needs and the ideas that we have to improve the system.”

INPS keeps Vision users up-to-date with the latest news and information through the INPS website, Karen has made use of the tools that are available online. “I really like the INPS website.  I think this is an incredibly effective and useful tool to keep up-to-date with the latest developments within Vision. The helpline blog keeps me informed of any potential problems the system might have and I can use it to download the latest guidelines and audits.  I also like that I can use the website as a communication tool to get in touch with specific groups within INPS, such as the helpdesk, or the trainers, by filling in the easy-to-use webforms linked throughout the website.”

When asked why Vision is the best clinical system available for GP practices, Karen replies
“Because INPS understands that the needs of the patient outweigh the needs of the database when it comes to clinician time, and come up with ways to make the day-to-day data entry and extraction as quick and easy as it can. In addition, Vision is so adaptable to the needs and the skill sets of all professional groups that work within a GP practice, whether clinical or administrative, IT proficient or a beginner.”

Karen McDonald, Bruntsfield Medical Practice, Edinburgh