Award nomination for innovative rheumatology care
06/05/2020
This article is more than three years old.
A rheumatologist at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has been nominated for a prestigious award for developing a system to improve patient care.
Professor Raashid Luqmani, who is based at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, has been nominated for the Royal College of Physicians' (RCP) Digital Award. He has been shortlisted for creating the Rheumatology Assessment Database Innovation in Oxford (RhADIO), which has changed the way the Trust treats rheumatology patients.
Launched in 2016, the database is used to record patient diagnosis and treatment, and record evaluations specific to the patient's condition - allowing staff to track progress over time and tailor treatment appropriately. Patient conditions are also scored over time and RhADIO holds data securely all in one place, making the information much more accessible for staff, and plays a role in clinical decision-making.
There are several different types of assessment in the system used for evaluating different conditions.
The RCP award recognises and rewards the use of new or existing technologies or digitally driven projects that have contributed to significant patient care or health outcomes.
Professor Luqmani said: "I was really pleased to receive this nomination.
"One benefit of RhADIO is that it allows staff to use a unique scoring system to determine the best treatment in line with NHS England and NICE guidelines, and then track how the patient progresses on that particular course. It's well-used in our departments and the staff feedback has been really positive.
"Recently, I used the database to identify over 5,000 of our patients who were at increased risk of COVID-19 because of their condition and/or its treatment. We were then able to send them specific advice on shielding."