Streamlining Results Management in General Practice

• 50 minutes of GP time saved per day through automated results filing
• 4 hours 10 minutes of clinical time saved per week
• 20% reduction in manual processing of abnormal test results
• Improved patient experience with faster access to test results
• Enhanced staff satisfaction with more time for impactful patient care
• Standardised process with clear clinical safety protocols

• Diagnostic activity to highlight areas for improvement
• Significant opportunities were identified within:

– Reducing time spent on manual results management

– Streamlining the filing and processing of test results

-Standardising processes with clear clinical safety guidelines

-Improving team efficiency and reducing administrative burden

-Increasing quality of patient care

-Enhancing staff wellbeing through workload optimisation

-Improving patient experience through faster results communication

• Strong engagement with key stakeholders, including GPs, practice management, and administrative staff
• Analysis of existing workflow, identifying that up to 200 individual results were being received daily, requiring approximately 2.5 minutes of clinical time to manage each abnormal result
• End-to-end process mapping of results management pathway to identify opportunities for safe automation
• Development of bulk filing rules to streamline the handling of specific test results that could be safely filed without individual clinical review
• Creation of standardised protocols with clear clinical safety guidelines to ensure consistency and accuracy

• A thorough understanding of current processes and challenges was gained through direct engagement with the clinical team, work shadowing, and detailed analysis of the results management workflow
• Introduction of a structured auto-filing system with clear rules for safely managing specific abnormal results that met predetermined clinical criteria
• Development of a simple, user-friendly crib sheet to support the clinical team in implementing the auto-filing rules consistently
• Implementation of a system that allowed for approximately 20% of abnormal results to be safely managed through the auto-filing process
• Continuous monitoring and refinement of the process to ensure clinical safety remained the top priority while maximising efficiency
• Solutions were designed collaboratively with the clinical experts who use the process daily; our role was to facilitate, guide and implement those changes and improvements