Research

6 • Development of Dental Informatics and e-health

Background

DHSRU has been involved with the Health Informatics Centre (HIC) in Dundee since its inception in 2003. As collaborating members of the developing Population Health Sciences theme in the Medical School, we also work with colleagues in Quality, Safety & Informatics Research. In this example, Informatics expertise is being brought to Childsmile, the national dental health improvement programme for children in Scotland.

Progress

Both HIC and DHSRU are now linked to TAyside medical Science Centre (TASC). The Centre combines the research strengths of the University of Dundee with NHS Tayside and is a node of the national Scottish Academic Health Sciences Collaboration. Since the Childsmile@HIC-DHSRU e-Health System began in 2006 there has been incremental progress in line with the development and refinement of various Childsmile components.

The electronic system was originally developed to support the then Childsmile East Schools/Nursery fluoride varnish programme. The software was expanded during 2009/10 to record data on the national Childsmile Tooth-brushing and Childsmile “Practice” programs within one integrated software package. For Childsmile “Practice” this allowed recording of basic child details such as name and address; Community Health Index number (CHI); how they were referred into the programme; the child’s health support worker’s name; consent details and contacts with the child.

The newly re-designed and integrated software was successfully launched in summer 2009 and the software adopted by all Scottish Health Boards by early 2010.

HIC developed an in-house “HIC CHI application” during 2009/10 to enable rapid adding of missing CHI numbers to records, using systems approved by the CHI Advisory Group. Communication between the various groups is through a “Childsmile/HIC-DHSRU Strategy Group” led by Mr. Graham Ball, Consultant in Dental Public Health for NHS Fife and Professor Pitts. HIC-DHSRU is continuing to re-develop on-line reports based on the new system, in collaboration with the Childsmile evaluation team and is working with NHS Scotland Information Services Division on the release and sharing of data for program evaluation, research and the measuring of HEAT targets (Scottish Government objectives, targets and measures for NHS Scotland). HIC-DHSRU, is developing the software further, while devolving maturing functionality to the Childsmile staff embedded within NHS Boards. There are also on-going developments in ePrescribing and an evolving process evaluation of the Childsmile@HIC-DHSRU System from the user perspective.

DHSRU participation in the NHS Scotland Dental Informatics Group (DIG) also allows us to share knowledge and expertise with other stakeholders and to participate in the development of Dental e-health in Scotland.

Images below

The web browser screens depict examples of how users at remote sites upload and manage service data, complete child consent forms on-line and record clinical findings associated with Fluoride Varnish applications.

Impact Statement

DHSRU is using its e-Health and Informatics research knowledge and collaborations to continue to develop, evaluate and refine practical e-solutions to dental service development in Scotland. These also then create research opportunities through the secure provision of routine data that can be anonymised when necessary and shared through Information Services Division of the NHS and the University of Glasgow team led by Professor Lorna Macpherson