More than one-and-a-half million hospital records in Bristol stored on paper over the past 50 years are to be transferred on to computer.The task is expected to last four years but ultimately should speed up access to patients' medical records. At present the records are stored in a warehouse at a secret location in the city but will eventually be transferred on to a system at Southmead Hospital. It is hoped having notes accessible will make treatment much safer.
Neurosurgeon Mike Carter said at present he could access brain scans of patients who may be hundreds of miles away. Until now he has had to rely on written notes for details of their treatments. "At present sometime we have to wait a long time to get records from other hospitals. "Once we become computerised we should have access to these instantaneously which I think will help patient management, make it a lot more efficient and I think a lot safer as well," he added.
