PKB Digital Personalised Video Option

Reducing outpatient follow-ups and transforming hospital care delivery remain key priorities for healthcare organisations as part of their effort to reform elective care. This innovative program is now live across six sites, and PKB is the only Personal Electronic Patient Record (PEP) system that offers personalised messaging.

Mr Duffy, a consultant at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust (HDFT) identified a critical challenge: Patients post-surgically often struggle to recall verbal instructions, which impacts their experience and safety and increases the demand for outpatient follow-ups.

To address this, HDFT pioneered a post-surgical follow-up innovation using PKB messaging, transforming post-operative follow-up care by:

• Send a personalised video and reports post-surgery, which will be sent directly to the patient via PKB messaging.

• The video includes discharge aftercare details and links to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) within PKB’s library.

• The concept is highly scalable and is currently being piloted across five additional NHS trusts.

Patients welcome this easy-to-replicate programme, which reduces unnecessary follow-up appointments and minimises pressure from unscheduled GP or emergency visits, freeing up valuable clinical time. Click the link to read the full case study on transforming post-operative follow-up.

Proven Impact

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust Digital Videos via a patient portal

The PKB programme has demonstrated significant efficiency gains in peri-operative care. Extrapolated data shows an annual saving of 112.5 clinical hours for a single consultant, equivalent to 28 additional theatres, highlighting its vast potential when scaled.

Humber and North Yorkshire’s Innovation, Research, and Improvement System (IRIS) assessed post-innovation savings, finding a 67% reduction in post-op follow-ups for the Knee Arthroscopy team. This resulted in:

• 10,800 clinical minutes saved, allowing for 285 additional new patient appointments

• 60% cost efficiency savings – £240 per patient, totaling £108,000 annually

Alignment with NHS Priorities

This programme directly supports NHS operational guidelines, including:

• NHS Switch to Digital plans

• Operational Planning Guidance

• The NHS 10-Year Plan for Elective Care Reform

• Referenced in the NHS Impact Service Improvement Guide

Learning and Next Steps

• IRIS has developed a predictive benefits model, enabling Trusts to build strong business cases.

• An Adoption & Spread Implementation Toolkit is available.

• Trusts can access IRIS resources for a standardised, scalable video model.

Open

How to Send a Message or Video in PKB

Video

Watch this short video to see how quickly and easily you can send a video to patients in PKB.

Open

Screenshots

Open

Professional logs into PKB

 

 

Open

Professional homepage

 

 

Open

Search for the patient, click send message

 

 

Open

Writes post operative message

 

 

Open

Attach any videos, files and letters to the message

Open

Sends a message to the patient

 

Open

Patient gets notification that there is a new message in their record.

Open

Patient views digital message

Open

and attachments

PKB Features

Key PKB features all orthopaedic services can use with their patients to support them while they wait, both preop and post-operatively. A list of them is below.

Messaging 

• Patients have access to message their healthcare team (saving time on the phone)

• The Admin team can triage messages. Either resolving or passing onto another speciality team

• Team-based messaging allows teams to automatically receive secure messages and questionnaires as a group rather than as individuals

• Sharing videos and reports

• A doctor sends a message to the patient straight after surgery

• Operation notes and post-op advice given

• Patients have access to these documents via any web-enabled device 

• Access via NHS App events & messages jump off point 

Open

Library

• Central organisation library for advice, services and information

• Disease and condition information with advice and resources

• Treatment plans, for example, a rehab program with videos and advice a patient needs to watch and read each week

• Rehabilitation information

• Advice on Living well, including exercise, healthy eating, quitting smoking and alcohol recommendations

• Details and links to National and local support groups and website

• Professional alliance information

• Treatment options for orthopaedic conditions and pain management

Open

Care Plans

Care plan templates can be used to standardise the way that information is shared with a patient following their surgical procedure. Plans can educate patients on the procedures they have had, as well as provide follow-up advice, guidance, and support. Teams can create interactive procedure-specific care plans or generalised plans to support all patients undergoing a procedure.

Care plans can include

• Educational materials such as embedded images and videos

• Generic resources, organisation-specific resources or tailored personal videos 

• PDFs/Documents

• Resource library signposting patients towards useful resources and services

• Prompts patients to track progress post-procedure

• Include tailored symptom tracker and measurements (both manual and via integrated apps, devices and wearables).

• Pre-emptive advice, including a Red/Amber/Green status, provides comprehensive support and what to do if they have any concerns

• Allow patients to self-assess and self-manage their health and care

Open

NHS APP

Patients are able to access care plans directly from within the NHS App via the care planning jump off point (specific to PKB), as well as via any web-enabled device.

Open

Open

Open

Figure 2 - patient’s journey to access these care plans directly within the NHS App for the first time (including the second image showing the initial linkage of a patient’s NHS App and PKB account) 

Questionnaires 

Patients can initiate a questionnaire by clicking Start Consultation on their homepage or directly within the NHS App. Once completed, the questionnaire can be sent to a professional or team.

Teams using the questionnaire tool can ensure the outcome of clinical reviews is recorded and the patient has a copy. Teams can also identify patients suitable for virtual appointments or PIFU.

Questionnaire templates

• Patient Reported Outcomes (PROMS)

• WLV questionnaire example

• Capturing Digital Outcome Measures

• Postoperative/enhanced recovery program questionnaire

Add and View Data

Patients can automatically be added to the correct team through an integrated demographics feed, whereby these resources will be readily available without any manual intervention required by professionals. This demographics feed integration would take approximately 8 weeks to establish for a new organisation. 

• Patients can view hospitals and GP data  where an integration with PKB has been set up

• Data can include blood tests, x-ray reports, clinic and appointment letters, appointments and discharge summaries 

• Patients can add information themselves, including operations and conditions

• Patients can track key measurements and add any symptoms related to their orthopaedic condition

Further Information

• Example care plans can be found on PKB’s care planning toolkit, including examples for enhanced recovery after surgery, prehabilitation ahead of an orthopaedic procedure.

• Peri-operative care plans templates: examples of pre-op, consent, minor procedures and post-op templates created and used by teams.

• Consent Care Plan Templates: informed consent care plan examples

• Shared decision tool care plan: PKB has converted these decision support tools into digital, editable and shareable care plans

• Elective Recovery: how PKB can digitally support teams and patients at every stage of the pathway

• Surgery teams: workflow and content

• Mr Dave Duffy explains how and why he uses PKB to send Digital Personalised Videos post-surgery

• Using PKB in a Perioperative Pathway: PKB PUG event video showcasing how three Trusts use PKB in their peri op pathway