Why is the DXS Point-of-Care software slow and unreliable?

Author: Tim Foster
Date: 15 February 2021

DXS Point-of-Care has been used in GP practices throughout the UK for nearly 20 years. Over that time, the one remark some users regularly make is that the software appears slow to load, slow to display referral form data, or has some reliability issues. We feel this is largely an outdated comment, no longer being the case. Here is why:

The majority of third-party software integrated into primary care systems rely, to a large extent, on the API provided to them. This is the mechanism which allows the two pieces of software to talk to each other. By design, these APIs need to cater for all, and sometimes do not hit the mark, needing a lot of work by the third-party supplier to fit their software’s requirements. DXS Point-of-Care, in particular, relies on a lot of the patient record and API data transfer to do the job properly, and this can add overhead. In recent years APIs have improved, and the way DXS Point-of-Care approaches its coding against these APIs is also much refined.

The greatest impact on performance comes with local networks and hardware – the physical infrastructure in GP practices. Primary care has suffered for many years by being behind the curve in terms of PC upgrades, operating system upgrades, and general network and internet speeds. However, hardware refreshes, Windows 10 upgrades, and the introduction of HSCN within GP practices have seen marked improvements in recent years, and this helps systems like DXS Point-of- Care to perform how they can.

Undoubtedly the biggest change and improvement has come with DXS Point-of-Care moving to a cloud-based server system. Effectively, this means the DXS Point-of-Care software is no longer tied to a PC within the practice, which was often optimal for the job required. The system was only as good as the PC ‘server’ the practice could find to house the DXS Point-of-Care engine and database. This is now removed from the equation, and high-powered clusters of servers in a secure cloud- hosting environment provide much faster response times and huge reliability gains. This cloud environment is constantly monitored and managed for performance and availability. With over 80% of the DXS Point-of-Care customers now on this platform, the difference is clear – DXS Point-of-Care is no longer slow, and reliability is assured.

The current DXS Point-of-Care software is not perfect. No software is. Twenty years of development, enhancements, and changes both required and desired, mean that any software will have bumps in the road. In our roadmap for 2021, is an exciting new platform which will deliver performance, reliability, and portability for other care settings. This new application will be one easily deployable, fast, and reliable package. We firmly believe this is the next generation of DXS platforms that will change the opinions of the software being ‘slow and unreliable’, into one that is ‘required and irreplaceable’.