Neonatal units have highly specific clinical and operational needs that are often unintentionally overlooked by generic hospital Electronic Patient Record (EPR) systems. As a result, clinicians within these units increasingly rely on paper documentation for much of their work. This reliance creates challenges in accessing and sharing critical information in real time, which can impact the quality and safety of care.

Generic EPRs typically lack the functionality to support specialist neonatal workflows, such as detailed charting, early warning scores, and tailored clinical interfaces. They also do not accommodate the structured data entry required for the national neonatal dataset, which is essential for benchmarking and service improvement. Because these systems cannot meet the unique demands of neonatal care, clinicians are often forced to revert to paper-based charts and manual processes.

One Baby, One View

Relying on paper-based documentation in neonatal care can pose serious clinical safety risks. Paper records are vulnerable to being incomplete, illegible or misplaced, leading to potential gaps in care. These risks become even more pronounced when neonates are transferred between units, as critical information can easily be overlooked or lost during handovers.

BadgerNet Neonatal EPR addresses these challenges by providing a secure and complete digital neonatal record that travels with the baby. Whether the infant is in the neonatal unit, in transit, or receiving care in the community, their digital record remains accessible and up to date. When a baby is transferred to another site that also uses BadgerNet Neonatal EPR, clinicians at the new location can immediately access and contribute to the same record. This seamless continuity helps prevent information loss, enhances collaboration between care teams, and supports safer, more effective care.

Bridging the Gap Between Maternity and Neonatal Care

Connecting BadgerNet Neonatal with BadgerNet Maternity supports clinical safety. This connection ensures that all the relevant data is readily available, allowing neonatal teams to become fully informed. This is particularly important as they can anticipate and care holistically, as clinical teams know the medical history of the newborn as soon as they are admitted to the unit

Transforming Neonatal Units

BadgerNet Neonatal EPR is purpose-built to address these challenges. BadgerNet Neonatal EPR provides interoperability with the existing Patient Administration System (PAS) and the wider hospital EPR via electronic document transfer (EDT) interfaces so that crucial reports such as discharge letters can be transferred instantaneously into the PAS or the hospital-wide EPR upon discharge at the click of a button.

The solution can also interface with laboratory systems, pathology, and cot-side monitors. This integration allows for automatic charting and real-time data capture, reducing administrative burdens. The solution also provides highly configurable checklists and task assignments to help maintain consistency in care.

By consolidating all clinical information into a single digital record, BadgerNet ensures that clinicians involved in a baby’s care can access the complete record. This accessibility is crucial for making informed decisions quickly and safely.

A New Future for Neonatal Units

BadgerNet Neonatal EPR is the only Electronic Patient Record specifically designed for neonatal care. BadgerNet Neonatal EPR is an enhanced version of Clinical Summary, retaining all the original functionality plus additional features to facilitate a paperless or paper-light unit. As a centrally hosted solution, BadgerNet links with all BadgerNet Maternity and Neonatal sites across the UK, ensuring units have access to critical information when and where it is needed.

South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust shared their journey in upgrading to the BadgerNet Neonatal EPR system, in our customer story.

Next steps

Additionally, you can explore more about our Neonatal Electronic Patient Record (EPR) system and its benefits by downloading our fact sheet and accessing our benefits calculator.

If you have any questions or need further information, please don’t hesitate to contact us today.