VuDo (view do) – QR Codes; Improving patient experience and staff competence
QR codes have been introduced to improve patient experience and staff competence, by providing short learning video at the point of use, of medical devices, at Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust.
Medical devices that have been problematic to use in the past will now have an individual code attached in a prominent position and when scanned deliver a specific video between 30 seconds to 3 minutes, of how to use the device.
Paediatric Physiotherapist, Laura Butler said, “in the past, senior staff would receive phone calls at home in the early hours of the morning from both nurses and parents of patients who were experiencing difficulty, to coach them on the use of a nebuliser or NIV (non-invasive inhaler).”
Faculty Educator and developer of VuDo at the Trust, Simon Potter said, “we identified the nebuliser as one of the first applications for the QR codes, staff and patients can now scan the QR code to refresh themselves on any one of the eight inhalers and nebulisers devices we prescribe”.
Quick Response (QR) Codes are 2-dimensional images made up of dots which can be scanned by smartphones and tablets with a free QR code reader app. They contain over 230 times more data than barcodes. This allows access to web pages, social media, and can sync with an Outlook calendar, geo-locate, email, and text.
Today QR codes, like barcodes, can be overlooked. In order to help staff identify and understand the codes, they have been embedded onto a camera icon and referred to as VuDo (view do) to encourage recognition and action.
VuDo will also be used in the Trust to help implement new equipment, for examples Welch Allyn vital signs devices that measure key signs about a patient, such as blood pressure and oxygen levels.
Implementing the devices along with the associated training has been a big clinical project. The use of the QR codes has supported staff post training and helped them become more familiar with the device.
Nurse Trainer, Janette Cross said, “we explain how the VuDo works to staff when we deliver the initial training and hope that it will make it much easier for staff to find information quicker, and patients receive the care they need more efficiently”.
VuDo works best where information is needed promptly without the need to hunt for paper-based material or log onto a computer. Simon said, “other uses of VuDos include staff induction, enriching posters and leaflets, interactive hospital maps and emailing engineers of device breakdowns and plan to create 3 new VuDos later in the year.
Find out more about it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYt1wdFCQw0 and try VuDo yourself here, using a QR reader
