Moving to a digital world delivers benefits for mental health institutions

The need for digital working has intensified in recent years, so too within mental health institutions. Working with paper files wastes unnecessary time and paper is only in one place at a time. However, numerous mental health institutions are still working with paper. Switching to a digital world, on the other hand, provides more simplicity and efficiency. In this blog, we will tell you more about working in a digital world for mental health institutions and the benefits that come with it!

Problems at mental health institutions

Currently, many mental health institutions work in a hybrid world. One part of data is digital, using an EPD. However, a lot of paper is still present and paper records are still often pulled out to look up the right information. This includes psychiatric records, nursing records, legal records, BOPZ records and RIAGG records. This poses a problem within mental health institutions. Where does the search for the right file start if one part is still on paper and the other part digital?

In addition, more mergers have been taking place in recent years, resulting in work from multiple locations. This makes it very difficult to get the information to the right place at the right time. Many employees within an institution are involved in the information of one particular file, but to have this paper file in the hands of several locations at the same time is shorthanded. A digital world is a good solution for this. It creates more simplicity and efficiency within your institution. In addition, the General Data Protection Regulation (AVG) imposes more and more requirements on the way records are kept and their security. By fully digitising your archive and/or making it accessible via one system that meets these requirements and laws and regulations, you no longer have to worry about this.

Rosemary van Beljouw, Head of Ambulatory Care at SEIN: "Making the step from paper to digital was not easy. However, it hasn't caused any problems. The digital files can be viewed very easily via the Virtual Archive."

Virtual Archive

The Virtual Archive is a central archive for all your files and documents and developed to provide insight into all information flows within your institution. Mental healthcare institutions often deal with multiple locations and paper files are therefore poorly accessible, as they can only be in one place. Finding the right files or documents is already a common problem. This does not improve work efficiency. With Virtual Archive, these problems are overcome and you can quickly find the right file. If the file is digital, you can view the documents with a simple viewer. If the file is still on paper, you can retrieve the file via our software.

Esther Brokke, Project Manager at GGnet: "This way, we have easy access to our history. Compare it to a peek at the past."

Advantages of digitising

Digitising has many advantages. Some of these advantages are:

• Information is always and everywhere available, making it easy to share information with colleagues.
• The security of your documents is guaranteed. This is because the solution fully complies with AVG laws and regulations. Think retention periods, right to oblivion, etc.
• Access and logging of access is immediately properly regulated and unauthorised use is prevented.
• One efficient environment with all information is created.
• Losing files and documents is a thing of the past.
• Saving valuable space.

Honore Martens, HR support team leader at Koraal: "The Virtual Archive is fully set up in accordance with Koraal's authorisations and this allowed me to easily and, above all, securely request priority access to a file if it had not yet been digitised."

Physical archiving

Do you have files that you no longer consult and only need to keep according to a retention period? Then physical archiving in Archive-IT's secure archive premises is the right solution. This frees up unnecessary space within your institution, which can be used for other purposes. If you do need a file, you can easily request it using Scanning on Demand. Within 1.5 hours you will have the necessary file digitally in your hands. This will save you costs to digitise everything and still have access to all files.

In short, there are currently several issues at mental health institutions surrounding the hybrid world. Moving to a digital world provides many advantages for your institution. Are you curious to know what possibilities there are? Then get in touch here without any obligation!

Are you interested in a no-obligation demo of the Virtual Archive to see how clearly the system works? Fill in your details and we will contact you as soon as possible!