How to set up a barcoded flu clinic for greater efficiency

Dr Mark Essop, a GP in Bromley, has developed a barcoded flu clinic system which reduces administration and clinical time spent on flu clinics significantly. A summary of how to set up the system and links to guidance and resources are provided below.

The system, which is designed for use with EMIS Web but can be adapted to other IT systems, was introduced in 2012 and has been used successfully over a number of years in several practices.

It involves sending each patient an invitation letter with a barcoded, tear off ticket which they subsequently present at the practice flu clinic. The tickets are used to populate a list of patients, to which vaccination data is added as a batch process.

The system means:

• No appointment booking is necessary
• Invitation letters can provide detail about the vaccine and the vaccination process
• Invitation letters can be formatted so that patients can update their contact details
• Patient transit through clinics is rapid
• Face to face contact is minimal
• No IT hardware is required on site
• Can be used for clinics where patients from multiple GP practices attend

How does it work?

• Letters are sent inviting patients to attend open (unbooked) clinics.
• The patient takes the tear off ticket to clinic and hands it to the clinician administering the vaccination.
• The tear off ticket is scanned, adding the patient’s NHS number to a list.
• The list is imported into EMIS Web and the flu vaccination details are added as a batch process.

System requirements:

• Microsoft Office
• EMIS Web
• Notepad
• Free 3 of 9 font installed
• Docmail Print Server (optional but recommended)
• USB barcode scanner capable of scanning Code 39

What specific equipment is needed and how much does it cost?

The only additional IT hardware required is a barcode scanner capable of reading Code39 (approximate cost £20).

The 3of9 barcode font (needed for EMIS and Vision) can be downloaded for free.

Installation is simple but users may need admin rights to install it or may have to ask their IT support to do this for them.

How much time roughly does it save a practice?

This will depend on the current processes, but Dr Essop’s own experience is a reduction of 90% in administration time.

By way of example: One administrator adding data manually, patient by patient, will typically take a total of 30 hours to enter the data for around 1,500 patients from three clinic events. This is reduced to half an hour to an hour for each clinic – approximately 90% reduction in time.

The time saving increases the greater the number of patients vaccinated, once the baseline procedures are completed.

What would the advantage for this year’s campaign and could a practice set this up in time?

The system can be set up quickly, especially if practices use the EMIS document templates provided here. As all the data entry takes place after the clinic, it is possible to use the system at any venue as no IT equipment is required.

It is also possible to work on a PCN or other multi-practice basis; the data from mixed practice cohorts can be imported to individual practice databases which will ignore NHS numbers of patients who have never been registered at the practice.

Could a practice adapt it to their IT system?

The system can work on EMIS Web, Vision and SystmOne.  The methodology for data input varies in detail but in principle is the same.  SystmOne has a ‘Barcoded NHS Number’ merge field so practices using that system do not even have to install the barcode font to create their invitation letters.

Practices can download full guidance on how to set up the system as well as template invitations and other resources here.