Synopsis innovates to support the NHS tackle post COVID-19 pre-op backlog

Synopsis, the leading pre-op assessment platform has expanded to further support the NHS tackle the elective surgery backlog post COVID-19.

In response to COVID-19, the NHS has postponed more than 2 million operations after non-emergency surgery was cancelled for at least three months to free-up beds and re-deploy staff for coronavirus patients. According to NHS England, postponing these planned operations has crucially released 12,000 beds for patients who have fallen ill after contracting coronavirus.

Once these 12,000 beds are no longer required for patients fighting the virus, attention will turn to the backlog. Beginning the pre-op assessment process at pace and as efficiently as possible is vital for pre-operative assessment departments to triage and swim-lane patients into the correct fitness and readiness categories ahead of surgery.

Innovation ready to support all requirements - and a new solution launched

The Synopsis platform has been expanded to meet a full spectrum of pre-operative ways-of-working in post COVID-19 healthcare. Understanding hospitals across the NHS will be facing different backlog pressures, and desire varying levels of digitalisation and automation, Synopsis can now be deployed in four different capacities.

Each deployment capacity serves to provide the ideal correlation between deployment time and IT resource requirements, alongside desired outcomes and preferred ways-of-working.

For example, if a complete digital pre-operative assessment solution is required (inside and outside the hospital), Synopsis iQ and Synopsis Home would be deployed. However, if a lighter digital process is required to immediately begin assessing patients remotely, Synopsis Home can be launched in isolation in just 24 hours.

If some integration is preferred without committing to a full digital workflow (perhaps due to limited availability of internal IT resources), then Synopsis Home can be deployed alongside a brand new solution – Synopsis iQ Lite.

The Synopsis pre-operative assessment platform
Entry level Intermediate Advanced Complete
Synopsis Home Synopsis Home +
Synopsis iQ Lite
Synopsis iQ Synopsis Home +
Synopsis iQ

Enable patients to complete their pre-op questionnaire outside the hospital. Reduce unnecessary hospital visits.

Questionnaire answers including ASA score sent to care team. Then patients are triaged within the existing pre-op work flow.

Offer the digital pre-op questionnaire to patients outside and inside the hospital.

Synopsis iQ Lite integrates with hospital systems including PAS / EPR, automatically incorporating patient demographics.

Staff can update patient answers if required.

Deploy the leading end-to-end digital pre-op assessment solution inside the hospital.

Configure pick-lists to match ways of working and utilise waiting lists to increase efficiency.

Eliminate paper assessments entirely. Decision support and risk scores included.

Deploy the complete pre-op assessment solution, with patients beginning the process from home if appropriate.

Home questionnaire results are integrated into Synopsis iQ, maximising efficiency, return on investment and theatre utilisation.

Includes decision support with an ASA, POSPOM or similar score, as well as automating time-consuming tasks

Synopsis iQ Lite is launched

Intouch with Health is pleased to announce a new pre-operative assessment solution – Synopsis iQ Lite.

Synopsis iQ Lite is a lighter version of the leading pre-op assessment solution, Synopsis iQ. Designed to offer the key process benefits of iQ, iQ Lite is quicker to deploy and does not fully modify the current in-house pre-op assessment process but enhances and complements what the hospital already does.

Synopsis iQ Lite has been created to support hospitals seeking to digitise their pre-operative assessment process at pace in response to the backlog. This lighter version of Synopsis iQ contains many key features including integration with PAS / EPR but requires less internal IT resources to deploy and less training for clinical staff to go live.

“Each hospital is facing a slightly different challenge post COVID-19”

Tori Dand, Head of Synopsis Projects at Intouch with Health commented “We understand that it has been an extremely difficult time for the NHS and the elective surgery backlog is another significant challenge on the horizon."

"Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, we have been in close contact with our customers already using Synopsis solutions, and customers yet to adopt a digital pre-operative process. From these conversations, it has been clear that almost each Trust / hospital is facing a slightly different challenge post COVID-19, therefore, we have a responsibility to adapt and innovate to provide the best possible support we can in this new environment."

"With the addition of Synopsis iQ Lite, the Synopsis suite of solutions is better prepared than ever to meet the pre-operative needs across the NHS. Whether hospitals are seeking to launch lean solutions quickly to immediately tackle the backlog, or if they have the time / resources to deploy our more comprehensive solutions for a complete digital process, we can support that too.”

Contact the team on info@intouchwithhealth.co.uk for further details on the Synopsis digital pre-operative assessment options.

Synopsis pre-op platform expands