How is your unit doing?

The graph shows the number of patients registered with RPV in each unit as a % of each unit's size measured by number of dialysis+transplant patients. Click on the image for a larger version.


The range is huge! Note that where it is at 100% that doesn't mean that every dialysis and transplant patient is using it - many patients who aren't on dialysis or transplanted use RPV too. About a third overall, maybe a higher proportion in some units with a high level of uptake.
But the rate in some units is really impressive - and congratulations to Guy's, who are the leaders.

The units are organised by approximated date of starting (year of start shown in red at the top), so it isn't surprising that the units at the right have lower uptake. They haven't had it so long.

QUESTION - why the big differences?
Answers below ... or we'll be really interested to have this as just one of the things to discuss this at the RPV meeting in September - see the post below for details. Hope to see you there!

Small print - this was calculated by looking at numbers enrolled on 10th July 2010, and comparing it with each unit's dialysis+transplant patient numbers from the Renal Registry report 2009. Note on Cardiff - only available for paediatric patients, adults soon we hope.

RPV Users Conference

Manchester Central Conference Centre

For Renal staff, Patients and all interested

• Over 13,000 users in 2010, logging in on average twice each month
• To see live test results and info on the Internet
• A pioneering project driven by the UK Renal community
• Uptake, impact and future
• Updates, masterclasses, 'What I'd like to see'
• Parallel patient and staff sessions in the afternoon
• Free registration but numbers limited, so
• Express interest by emailing renalreg@renalreg.com

Programme and further details can be found here

Forum now open on RPV

When logged in, you can now post comments to a discussion forum in RPV. Open to users only. Please use it and make comments.

Does anyone know if there is a very simple guide somewhere for people new to this kind of forum?

Should we add hepatitis, MRSA, HIV results to RPV?

Haemodialysis patients find it difficult enough to travel without extra obstacles. One of the problems is getting up to date enough results of Hepatitis B and C, HIV, MRSA.

It has been suggested that a simple solution would be to post these on RPV, though we don't yet know how many units could easily do that.

Should we? Relevant comments include:

• Renal patients are used to having frequent Hep B and C and HIV and MRSA tests, it isn't a very big deal for them
• The chances of learning new bad news this way would be very small; if there was a change you'd usually you'd have had a phone call to get a re-test. But it might happen rarely.
• RPV users already know they may get bad news from RPV. The ability to see test results good or bad is is one of the major reasons they use RPV. Everyday examples are that they might discover worse kidney function results, high potassium.
• A significant minority of RPV users require someone else to login for them
• The additional protection of an extra login step or caution would be minimal, and it would be annoying and inconvenient
• It's not just an issue for haemo patients. Some patients receiving treatment for hepatitis, HIV or MRSA would really like to see these results anyway.

LFT, iron tests - info at head of columns

At last we've updated the info you get when you click on the headings at the top of the columns of Liver Function Tests on panel 5 of results, and at the top of Iron results there too.
We've had several liver experts look over what we've written and they think it's OK. What do you think?
ANT

Liver function and iron tests added

On results panel 5 many of you will now be able to see various liver function tests and results for iron and uric acid (which causes gout). This is in place for almost all units that use 'Proton', but if it's not there for your local unit, perhaps your local RPV admin may know whether it should be there soon.

10,500 registrations

We've now passed 10,500 registrations. Sorry we missed the opportunity to offer a prize for the 10,000th user, but maybe we could look you up and ask to publish your photo.
The new results we mentioned a while ago are just beginning to roll out in some units.

Welcome Canterbury and RenalPlus

Canterbury has joined Renal PatientView and today has 2 patients enrolled. Welcome!

RPV is now working in units where their local renal computer system is based on Proton (Vitalpulse adaptation of CCL-Proton), Vitaldata (Vitalpulse), iSoft's Clinical Manager (Guy's and Salford units have adapted this locally), eMed (Mediqal HI), and Canterbury adds the first RenalPlus unit.
We hope that any remaining systems will link soon.
The photo of Canterbury Cathedral is licensed under Creative Commons

Patients online

Increasingly renal patients are writing online, as well as reading. Some examples highlighted on the UK Renal Association's newspages this week.
Soon we hope to make it possible for RPV patients to communicate with each other, and to add blood pressures and comments to their own records.
Happy New Year!

Strong Passwords

It is in users' own interests to use strong passwords. To help us all do that we have added a link to Password Meter from the password change pages. Please use this to help us keep your account and thus the whole site secure.

Rob Worth

New tests please

We hope to add these tests to RPV early in the new year:
bili, ast, alt, alp, ggt, ferritin, iron, transferrin, ironsat, urate
What else would you like? Some are difficult because they are recorded in so many different ways in different renal units, but we are also looking for a way to add occasional tests in a list a bit like the list of letters.

The RPV team were finalists at the BT-eHealth Insider Awards 2008, in the category 'Best use of ICT in patient and citizen involvement'.  We didn't win - but then we were up against two projects to do with sex education - but we had a great time. 

Keith Simpson, Neil Turner, Rob Worth, Maddy Warren, Andy Webb.