The changeover to the new patient information system at Dunedin Hospital was ahead of schedule yesterday and expected to be completed early today.
Regional chief information manager Grant Taylor said overseeing the transfer of data from OraCare to the new iPM system had been a bit like conducting a symphony.
As long as nothing went dramatically wrong, the system would "go live" between 2am and 6am today.
Yesterday evening, one of the duties for staff working on the project was transferring information recorded on paper into the new system, something expected to take up to eight hours.
Mr Taylor, with others leading the team, expected he would have worked 36-48 hours "on the trot" by today.
Yesterday, the hospital was running as close as it could to essential services to allow for the transition, he said. Mr Taylor said staff who would use the new system had received extensive training.
He expected there would be some issues as staff got used to the new system, and a trainer would be on hand to assist with that.
Under the new $3.4 million system, authorised staff will be able to see all of a patient's referrals for assessment and treatment, appointments, in-patient activities and if they are on waiting lists.
It should also be possible for patients to cancel multiple appointments without having to telephone every department involved.
