Renal PatientView

What we do

Renal PatientView

Shortcut to this page: www.renal.org/rpv Hosted by the Renal Association

Renal PatientView (RPV) gives patients direct access to live test results and other info via a secure Internet login. It is a project of RIXG. See the live system at www.renalpatientview.org - demo logins available from the foot of the page at demo, but note that these are limited (no letters, no Transplant status)

RPV news: recent news is on the RPV Blog - and you can comment on it there too. RPV newsletters - see foot of page.

Finalists at the BT eHealth-Insider awards, November 2008
RPV Meet The Developers meeting September 24th 2008
Prize - Renal PatientView wins CfH award May 2006
Official launch October 2005 - Photos and more info

Development and funding

RIXG (the Renal Information EXchange Group) first met in July 2003, tasked with thinking how to make the best use of modern IT to improve information and care for kidney patients. They came up with a scheme with many similarities to one of the visions in the government’s massive NHS IT investment plan – the electronic care plan – but thought they could do it much sooner. This is possible because renal units have invested in IT since the 1980s, and most units already have a lot of valuable information and results on dedicated (but often old) IT systems in their own units.

A feasibility testing project began in June 2004, with a timetable to have results for patients from one or two pilot units online inside six months. To ease concerns about confidentiality, only patients who sign up for the project are included. Access is secure and controlled at a similar level of security to online supermarket shopping. GPs, and other healthcare workers with the patients permission, are also able to see this information, which should be a welcome boost for non-renal healthcare staff who increasingly often encounter these complicated patients. It could also aid the care of patients who attend more than one unit - including those who go to another centre to receive a renal transplant.

The patient’s diagnosis is shown with links to information about the condition and its treatment, for both patients and for staff – explanations for patients; treatment guidelines and decision support for healthcare staff. Recent test results, particularly important to renal patients, are also shown.

The interface for the first system was initially based on the most widely used renal information system known as Proton. However the design was specified to make it easy for other information systems to join too.

Funding for the feasibility study came from the Department of Health in England, supported by proportional contributions from Scotland and Wales. This was intended to permit a pilot for 4-6 units. However in response to early feedback, RIXG agreed to an expansion of the scope of the scheme. Subject to availability of a small amount of local funding, the system was offered much more widely from mid 2005. Maintenance costs are covered by a modest annual charge to participating units, except in Scotland where funding has come directly from the Scottish Government.

Which systems where?

See which units have RPV on this map. Almost all renal electronic patient record systems in use in the UK now have an interface or are developing one:

Proton - any Proton system can be interfaced with RPV, regardless of platform or version. All interfaces so far have been provided by Vitalpulse.
Vitaldata - from Vitalpulse (since 2006)
eMED - from Mediqal (since 2007)
iSOFT's Clinical Manager has been interfaced in Salford and at Guy's St Thomas' (both 2007). Both are local implementations, we can put you in touch if helpful.
RenalPlus from Collaborative Health Informatics (CHI) (since 2008)
Local systems - e.g. QEH Birmingham (2009).

There really should not be an obstacle as long as you can extract results and disease/treatment codes.

Development is in progress for the following systems:

CCL's Clinical Vision (CV4)
Cybernius

RPV's info links

How we choose our information links - click for a description of the methods we use and the RIXG group assembled to select them and keep them under review

You can review all of our information links as used on the Renal PatientView site.

Resources for units joining Renal PatientView

The first thing you need is permission from your local Caldicott Guardian and data protection officer. Use the document "How RPV meets Caldicott and data protection requirements" (download from the foot of this page) together with patient sign-up form, leaflets, and some RPV newsletters (also downloadable below).
DOCUMENTS for enrolling, etc - see foot of this page
Information and FAQs for Unit Admins about how to get started and run the system
A note on safe passwords from the Unit Admin's page
Boxes of patient leaflets, and a staff leaflet, and publicity posters, are available (see contact info below), but you can see pdf files of the patient leaflet Part a and Part b (600+400kb), and a pdf of a patient info poster (670kb) here.
We can also send you a poster that you can modify to publicise RPV at local professional meetings.

Information for renal IT system suppliers

You can download the XML schema that we use for data transmission to RPV at the foot of this page. A sample XML file (often more useful) is also provided. We also have a webpage showing the full supplier specification for RPV, but a login is required - please ask us for one, see contact info below.

Contact information

RPV is managed by a small steering group which calls on other expertise as necessary and which reports to RIXG. Contacts are:

Neil Turner (Renal Association) Tel 0131 242 9167, neil.turner@ed.ac.uk
Keith Simpson (Scottish and UK Renal Registries), Tel 0141 211 4946, keith.simpson@nhs.net
Leaflets, posters, and more info from Fiona Braddon at admin (at) renalpatientview.org, or telephone 0117 323 8209.
Vitalpulse - contractor for Proton extractions in Phases 1-3
Worth Solutions - contractor for web solution

The best place to comment on this page is perhaps the RPV blog

RPV news

RPV news December 2005

.pdf file (2.32 MB)

Download
RPV news August 2006

.pdf file (549.70 KB)

Download
RPV news April 2007

.pdf file (172.51 KB)

Download
RPV news April 2008

.pdf file (1.07 MB)

Download

The Renal Association

What we do