HEALTH officials in Darlington have become the first in the country to use computer technology to monitor standards in doctors' practices while protecting patient privacy.
Darlington Primary Care Trust is introducing a quality outcome framework (QOF) among the town's 11 GP surgeries.
The system assesses how well the surgeries are performing, looking at whether GPs are recording the right information, reviewing patients' medication, taking blood pressures and assessing smoking status.
"We are also looking at issues such as the legibility of records so if the patient moves, the new doctor will be able to understand what their problems are," said the QOF assessor, Marilyn Abbott.
Pioneering software from Apollo Medical Systems is used to allow staff to do their jobs without identifying patients.
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