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Patients Know Best (PKB), a digital personal health record, is used by dermatology teams in many different ways with their patients to improve pathways and
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give them access to their data. When thinking about using PKB in your team, it's important to have clear, achievable goals that will
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change
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the current patient and clinical pathways.
Goals included benefits such as better patient engagement and access to information materials including letters, care plans, a library of resources, secure messaging and personal clinical data such as test results, tracking symptoms and measurements.
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Key features
Dynamic care plans for patients to track and record symptoms and measurements
Secure messaging for professionals and patients
Patients receive blood results into the record
cardiac teams have the ability to see data from other care providers using PKB
Example goal for using PKB
Systemic patients normally have blood results four times a year. With the introduction of PKB patients will only be seen once a year due to them being sent all four blood forms for the year and patients messaging the team with their results in order for them to obtain their repeat prescriptions.
Dermatology self-care workflow
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Current problems
Teams experience a high level of face-to-face appointments
Telephone conversations are lengthy
Teams want ‘to provide patients with a digital care plan
Teams want to give patients online resources
Teams want patients to have access to blood test results
Reduce appointments
The team want to deliver a digital PIFU pathway
PKB Solution
Validating waitlist via questionnaire
Secure messaging feature allows professionals to share information with patients
Patient-initiated messaging for PIFU pathways
Support patients waiting well with care plans and a library of resources
Send patients digital appointments and appointment letters
Validate support required by collecting data from patients to triage them ahead of interactions (care plans, questionnaires, messaging)
Informed consent and shared decision tools
Care plans for all stages, consent, pre-assessment, treatment and condition specific.
Benefits
Saving time and money
Patients have access to information in the library
Patients can follow correct treatment plans
Digital questionnaires
Questionnaires can be triggered out to the patient
Laboratory results, no unnecessary phone calls to find out results
Improve patient engagement and satisfaction
Usecase
University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust
The deramotology team had a clear goal of bringing change and measuring benefits to their current clinical pathways for their patients, staff, and the Trust as a whole. The goals included benefits such as better patient engagement and access to information materials, including letters, care plans, a library of resources, and personal clinical data such as test results, tracking symptoms, and measurements.
Benefits realised
Digitising at least 10% of all correspondence
Facilitate remote communication
Digitally questionnaires
Reduced the number of unnecessary follow-up appointments
Library feature in PKB for self help groups
“As a team we are seeing the benefits of how it saves time for both the staff and their patients, the blood forms which used to get lost are now sent via PKB and it has now become part of our daily consultations and they refer to it all the time. I now tell patients to message me via PKB instead of phoning.”
Joanne McWilliam, Senior Clinical Nurse Specialist Biologic’s
Swansea Bay University Health Board
The service supports patients with skin conditions like chronic eczema and psoriasis by providing online access to health information, enabling them to view blood results, arrange appointments, and collect medications conveniently, which previously required in-person outpatient appointments every 12 weeks for routine blood tests.
In the initial pilot study, clinicians used PKB to initiate virtual communication, follow-ups, and medication reviews. This avoided the need to call patients into the hospital for an appointment every 12 weeks.
Benefits realised
75% reduction in face-to-face outpatient appointments (reduced from 4 quarterly to 1 annual appointment)
264 appointments saved from 88 patients
Patients empowered with the information and tools to:
- communicate with clinical teams when needed
- manage medication reviews and prescriptions remotely
- understand the importance of blood monitoring for their dermatological condition.
Read how, by implementing a Patient-Initiated Follow-up strategy using PKB as an enabling tool, they achieved a 75% reduction in face-to-face outpatient appointments and eliminated their list of ‘Follow-up not booked’ patients here.
Dermatology workflow
Dermatology teams use PKB to provide guidance on managing their condition in a digital pathway. Library links are provided within the record to guide patients on an ongoing basis.
Key PKB features
PKB can be used in all areas of perioperative care. Below are the key featured teams already using.
Questionnaires
Patients can initiate a questionnaire by clicking Start Questionnaire 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 pre-operative assessment questionnaires.
PKB's advanced questionnaire functionality
The features include:
Scoring and calculations
Branching, allowing patients to complete the parts of the questionnaire that are relevant to them
Coded fields questionnaires can be mapped to clinical codes
Patients can save drafts
Send questionnaires to patients who aren’t registered or already in your team
Questionnaire templates
Psoriasis Epidemiology Screening Tool (PEST)
Dermatology Quality of Life Index (DQLI)
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.
Library
A wealth of resources on all dermatological conditions
National and local information and guidance
Videos
Hospital and organisation information
Medication advice
Care plans
PKB have a care plan toolkit with examples of care plan templates used by teams. There is a process for teams to amend care plans or create new ones here.A selection of care plans are below.
Personalised care plan templates
Disease care plan with individualised templates with escalation plans
A place to track and record symptoms related to the speciality
Journal
Digitalise journal
Pre and post treatment to support enhanced recovery programs
Data
Appointments
Appointment letters
Clinical letters
Comms
Provide clear information for patients on how to use PKB and what digital support the teams provide.
Comms to staff on the new clinical and patient digital pathways
Dermatology workflow
Dermatology teams use PKB to provide guidance on managing their condition in a digital pathway. Library links are provided within the record to guide patients on an ongoing basis.
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Further information:
Improving clinical pathways for Dermatology patients: the benefits of better patient engagement and access to information
Case Study from Swansea Bay: transforming the face of traditional dermatology services
Dermatology care plan template: example of a care plan used by dermatology teams
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questionnaire templates: Quality of Life and Psoriasis Epidemiology Screening Tool