Welcome to PathUser ^TM Facilitating Demand Management and Best Practice in Pathology

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PathUser^TM Development

Caithness Multi Media Ltd (CMM), working with Dr Smellie, has developed the PathUser^TM concept into an Internet accessible, interactive, website, offering personalised PCT and surgery level activity data, guidance, consultant access and the potential for accredited Continuing Professional Development for medical staff.

CMM is part of the Navertech Group, which provides a network platform for skilled companies to pool resources in order to provide full media convergence services. Recognising that diverse content, applications and services are all central in providing end user benefits, Navertech operates as a project management hub to deliver credible value.

CMM, themselves, are communications specialists who design and produce compelling digital content and application software for porting to a range of delivery channels. Production skills embrace conceptualisation, software creation, database design and Internet/Intranet activities.

Working with partners to strengthen service levels and compress innovation cycles their network of programmers and creative multimedia developers form a collective and synergistic group of the highest calibre.

By distilling creativity and effort into software, CMM has achieved a successful track record in digital communications, Internet/Intranet activities and education and training and is also actively developing a number of technology products for mainstream markets, including online VQ assessment and online games.

Previously, the company secured a glowing endorsement from the Department for Education and Skills for work undertaken on an Labour Market Intelligence Web project (see letter on support page).

The operational flow of pathology tests can be best described as a loop, which starting with the test requestor, proceeds to the laboratory to end up again in the hands of the test requestor. PathUser^TM provides a second branch to this loop best illustrated in the diagram below:

Diagram (click to enlarge)

The product itself is not an instrument to produce savings but is one that enables and informs end users in order that they can change practice and introduce initiatives to achieve better practice and its resulting financial and patient benefits by helping to facilitate the introduction of new ideas and best practice advice to optimise pathology use. This in turn will benefit ongoing investigation and referral services as pathology is a key portal of entry into the health care system.

The approach of bringing medical expertise directly into the development of an online, multidisciplinary, audit, training, data collection and information centre is central to the project.

PathUser^TM aims to help to facilitate the delivery of comparative activity displays, new ideas and best practice advice to optimise pathology use through an interactive website with direct consultant contact.

It is based on several guiding principles:

• Professionally led.
• Widespread inexpensive networking.
• Ease and speed of use.
• User involvement.

It aims to deliver:

• Activity information to allow users and providers to compare who does what, and how often.
• A service tailored to individual, practice, PCT, laboratory and health authority levels.
• Direct access to general or patient specific consultant advice.
• A method for dissemination of good practice recommendations and procedures.
• A forum to allow exchange of questions, ideas and audits done at all levels.
• Help in co-ordinating advice from professional organisations.
• Continuing Professional Development activities for GPs, nurses and consultant pathologists through recognition by participating in educational exercises designed to improve best practice.