The Association of Anaesthetists has announced the winner for its 2019 Award for Innovation in Anaesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Award.
The winner is MyPreOp, online preoperative assessment programme. When the patient is told they need an operation they are given access to create an account. They enter their information into MyPreOp and then share their information with their health care provider. Patients own their account and choose to share their information. Clinicians do not have access to the account. This empowers patients and engages them in their care. If they need a further procedure they log back in, confirm their data is current and share it. This is the basis of a Personal Health Record.
Dr Kathleen Ferguson, president at the Association of Anaesthetists, presented the award to Dr Paul Upton, CEO of Ultramed at the Association of Anaesthetists 2019 Winter Scientific Meeting in London on 11 January 2019. Dr Ferguson said: “It takes a special skill set to be inventive and even greater grit and determination to see the idea through to reality and then implementation. The Association recognises and applauds its innovation stars."
On receiving the award, Dr Upton said: “I’m stunned to have won. It came as a great surprise. As a team we see this win as an opportunity to get MyPreOp rolled out across the NHS.”
As the award winner, Dr Upton received a certificate and prize money of £2000. The Innovation in Anaesthesia Award aims to encourage and reward innovation in anaesthesia and provide a potential springboard for new ideas. Now in its seventh year, the 2019 award received eight applications. This year’s award is supported by Fannin, Intersurgical and Fisher & Paykel Healthcare.
