You can now attach and send documents directly from the patient record! Please note that this feature is only available for English practices.
Note: If you use EMIS, you must first have GPSoC enabled in EMAS manager.
To attach a document from SystmOne/EMIS:
1) Select a patient in SystmOne/EMIS.
2) Click the message icon in the Accurx toolbar
3) You should see the patient's details have come through to Accurx Desktop! Choose what to put in your message - you can simply free text in the box near the bottom, or you can add a pre-written template.
4) Click Attach, then click From SystmOne or From EMIS Web
(Sometimes there is a delay in the From EMIS Web option appearing. If you are testing this feature out and jumping straight to attach, please wait a few seconds to see it)
5) Select the file you want to attach
6) Click 'Send now'
Once sent, what the patient receives is an SMS to their mobile phone with a link. When they click on the link, they will be asked to input their date of birth as identity verification, before being able to access the document.
The document is accessible for 28 days. The patient will need to save the document onto their phone/PC in order to keep a copy for their records.
Blood forms/blood test results: we aren't able to attach blood forms/blood test results directly from EMIS or SystmOne. This is because, unlike other documents, blood tests come under 'pathology' and are displayed as input sections, rather than record attachments or documents. However you can still attach a blood form by saving it as a PDF to your desktop, then uploading the attachment from your desktop.
FAQs
1. Can I attach a document to a template?
Not at the moment. But, if it's the same document each time (and so doesn't contain patient data), the easiest thing to do would be host it on Dropbox or Google drive, or put it onto your practice website, and then just put that link in a text template. That also means it will be easier for the patient to access as they won't need to enter their date of birth. Instructions for how to do this can be found here.
2. Can I try out this feature on a test patient?
No, this feature is only available to use with real patients.
3. What is the max size of an individual file that can be uploaded?
3MB
4. How can I resize an attachment?
Remove any unnecessary images in the document
If you need to keep the images within a file, this article can help Reduce the file size of a picture in Microsoft Office
If you are using Microsoft word, save using .docx wherever possible as this is usually smaller than .doc
If you are exporting a document to PDF, you should have an option to optimize the file size. Choose lower quality images for a smaller file size.
5. How long is it available for (before no longer downloadable)?
The document is accessible for 28 days. The patient's text explains this.
6. Can it be downloaded multiple times, or only once?
Multiple times (no restriction)
7. How long does Accurx host the file for, before it is deleted (data retention)?
Right now we're not doing any automatic deletion - given the quick launch to enable this as part of he COVID-19 response. However, by definition all stored documents are only a few days old and we can manually delete anything should an explicit need come up.
8. Where are the documents stored once sent?
The files are being stored within Microsoft Azure blob storage which complies with the NHS information governance regulations. The storage itself is only reachable through authenticated connections from within our service - sent links are not direct to storage but rather through our web portal, which requires the patient to supply their date of birth, and is encrypted at rest (see here.)
Use of this service is covered by our Data Processing Agreement which can be found here. As with all of our products, it is fully GDPR compliant.
If you have any questions or need help, click the message icon in the bottom right hand corner to chat with a member of the team! 😊