email hidden; JavaScript is required
1. Introduction
Individual Patient Appointments can be better reviewed with various features in the DCP. The resources following aim to offer ways of using them, to enhance the way you manage upcoming appointments.
2. Background
In the past, it was very tedious for a GP who wanted to review a series of patient appointments to identify significant clinical and administrative items. The GP would have to open each record individually, to then work out from a range of tabs, what they wanted to achieve in the consult. The following feature helps to simplify this activity.
3. Description
DCP appointment view allows GPs to look at the patients who are booked in to see them before they present. It displays their data in the easy to read, colour indicated display which allows the GP to look ahead and plan what they may want to achieve as part of the consultation.
This looking ahead, also allows GPs to plan future care, ie the next consultation. GPs often have to balance the “shopping list” needs of the patient with the preventative care and actual condition management they require, in the confines of a time-limited appointment and so the DCP appointment view allows for resource allocation. In our practices, we have a “go for green” goal that both GPs and nurse try to achieve using the DCP display.
Looking ahead allows the GP to consider a multitude of options which could allow them to manipulate the session and achieve more comprehensive service delivery for each patient. This may include:
- Utilising a spare room to get patient X started with a nurse or assistant – perhaps to update measures or initiate preventative health care discussions, while finishing with patient Y.
- Utilising the practice nurse to commence opportunistic care – preventative or as part of planned care. Are ECG’s, RFT’s, Diabetes Risk Assessments, Cardiovascular Risk Assessments and Cancer screening services indicated??
- Can we make sure we’ve marked the results as notified, addressed the outstanding actions and uploaded the shared health summary to make our practice managers happy?
- Is there a spare appointment or two in the session? – Which patients could have a few minutes longer to “go for green” and achieve something more .. billing appropriately for the service delivery provided?
- Have we made sure the patient is eligible for the Management Plan service so we can book it in for next week?
GPs are time poor, so easy to use tools that allow future planning are essential to comprehensive but efficient care.
The DCP appointment view, when properly utilised actually saves time and optimises resources.
Summary Points
- The DCP appointment view shows the patients booked into the diary for the day and displays their data in the easy to read, colour indicated display.
- This allows GPs to look ahead and plan what they may want to achieve as part of the booked consultation
- It allows GPs to plan care today as well as future care, ie the next appointment
- Utilising the appointment view allows GPs to plan service delivery around the goals of the patient as well as the goals of the practitioner
- It allows resources such as equipment and nursing staff to be allocated in advance and the session potentially manipulated to achieve more for each patient that presents
4. Benchmarks
This section will be added later as and when produced.
5. Self-Learning Resources
5.1 Video Guides
All video guides have been compiled into a single YouTube Playlist.
These video updates are intended to be a 2-3 minutes brief tour of any new features or improvements added. They are published approximately monthly, and are listed in the following table:
| Name | Description | Video | Date |
| DCP Appointment Basics for GPs | This is an introduction as part of a larger series about using the DCP for work planning using the Appointment View feature. It presents the basics to start and use the DCP in the situation of reviewing upcoming appointments for the day, and then describes the importance of planning your agenda for them and coordinating with other practice staff like nurses. This video is also ideal for new DCP users. |  |
10-Nov-2017 |
6. FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions are shown in topical sections following. These are simple questions answered typically in 1-2 paragraphs.
Common Questions
Q: Who can use this feature?
A: Only users who are GP Users (Doctors).
email hidden; JavaScript is required