Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust enhances clinical photography with MediViewer

In early 2024, the Trust faced an urgent clinical photography management challenge due to the introduction of a new EPR system. Mizaic responded with a tailored, cost effective solution - Clinical Media Manager - ensuring that clinical images are now captured, stored, used, and shared securely, all within governance standards.

Key Highlights

• Rapid deployment with the solution piloted within weeks using existing workflows and infrastructure

• Over 1,000 clinical images captured and securely stored in the correct patient records within the first few weeks

• Faster, more accurate patient care with images in MediViewer, accessed via structured notes in their EPR, Cerner

• Significant cost savings delivered by leveraging existing MediViewer functionality and not having to procure a separate clinical photography system.

The Challenge

With the introduction of a new EPR system, Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust faced a challenge. The previous bespoke software used to manage clinical photography was part of a locally developed care record system - a custom-built platform created specifically for the Trust to store and manage clinical photographs. However, because this platform was tailored for the old system and not integrated into the new EPR, it was no longer suitable for managing clinical photography under the new setup. 

Adding to the urgency was the 2024 update to safeguarding regulations in the Care Act 2014, regarding real-time, evidence-based documentation of pressure ulcers. Some images were also stored on isolated systems, disconnected from patient records.

Rather than investing in a separate, standalone clinical photography solution, the Trust required a cost-effective, secure, and easy-to-deploy alternative that could integrate seamlessly into existing clinical workflows while meeting stringent governance and cybersecurity standards.

 The solution

In early 2024, after collaborative discussions, it was quickly confirmed that MediViewer already had the capabilities for this, and our team worked with the Trust to demonstrate the clinical photography features in line with the use case and workflow. Within a few weeks, the Trust had deployed iPads across wards to pilot the solution, and the process was rolled out among clinicians and healthcare professionals across the entire site – from inpatients and outpatients to ICU and maternity. The Trust only needed to source the iPads and finalise user permissions – everything else was already in place and ready to go.

By early February, MediViewer’s clinical photography feature became fully operational, providing the Trust with a seamless, integrated solution for capturing, storing, and viewing clinical images. Thanks to its ease of use, the teams at the Trust can simply search for the patient, capture an image, and store it in that patient’s record, with clinicians able to access these images directly from the EPR. 

“The use of clinical wound photography enhances clinical documents and allows clinicians to examine wounds remotely. Moreover, it supports safeguarding documentation and/or investigations and improves communication among the tissue viability team and agencies from other organisations.

With the images now in MediViewer, accessed via structured notes in Cerner, this makes the whole process considerably easier.  We are finding an improved engagement with clinicians because the images are so accessible.”

Daisy Culaj, Tissue Viability Lead Clinical Nurse Specialist, Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

MediViewer’s clinical photography feature directly supports compliance updates within the Care Act 2024, enabling evidence-based safeguarding assessments. The capture facility allows images of pressure sores and ulcers to be documented and entered into the patient’s record as soon as the image is taken, timestamping each image and making it immediately available to tissue viability nurses alongside the safeguarding team.

Hillingdon has identified additional opportunities to improve clinical processes, leveraging the capabilities of our solution. MediViewer will provide a safe, secure and patient-centric platform for a variety of media types, including videos of Endoscopy procedures.

“The beauty of MediViewer’s clinical photography feature is its simplicity. It’s been so easy for our clinicians to use, they have Mediviewer on the iPad, so they find the patient, get the capture, and store it in the record - it’s seamless. You know you’re putting the right image with the right patient, then you can add notes to it, and others can search for it.”

- Ranjit Kooner, CNIO, Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Outcome

• Improved clinician engagement with easy access to images, directly from the EPR.

• Rapid user adoption driven by the system's simplicity, teams can quickly search for a patient, capture an image and store it against the corresponding record.

• Reduced clinical risk by ensuring all the images are securely stored in the correct patient record.

• Ensured compliance supporting the updated Care Act 2024 safeguarding regulations and improving evidence-based documentation.

• Significant cost savings, avoiding the need for a separate clinical photography system and extensive training.

• Future-proofed system that supports a wide range of patient media, including photos, video and audio - ensuring scalability and long-term value.