Alcohol Screening
Alcohol Screening
CQUIN Scheme funding for Hospitals

This interesting application was brought to our attention by a consultant hepatologist. Alcohol screening had been around for many years, using either simple unscanned paper forms or nurses with electronic data capture devices. It was suggested to us that we could create a standard OMR form, following the existing AUDIT or FAST methodologies, then create a simple software program to score these forms when scanned and capture the data from each one.
Within a few weeks we had created an entire system to do all of this. We even extended the system to allow for outcomes on the reverse of the form to be noted and captured. During the second quarter of 2013 we installed this extended system at two Hampshire NHS hospitals : in Winchester and Basingstoke.

These systems allow for the simplicity and ease of data capture from paper, and make the investment in costly electronic devices and nurse time unnecessary.

In late 2014, we are working with the Royal Free hospital in north London to use a FAST form variant, automatic scoring mechanism, and sending all data from forms scanned that day to the Cerner server, in order the automated intervention letters might be generated depending on the score from sheet filled in by the patient. By doing so, hospitals can be financially rewarded under the Commission for Quality and innovation (CQUIN) schemes available in the NHS.

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