Evidence informed mental health care (iaptus)

Evidence informed mental health care (iaptus) 

Unlike many other healthcare organisations in Ireland, Jigsaw has long been using what’s known as an electronic health record (EHR) to support our services. An EHR is used to store information about the service, replacing the need for paper records. Jigsaw uses an EHR system which is called iaptus, and was launched in 2023. iaptus was brought into Jigsaw to improve the quality of our services. For example, by allowing more automation of time-consuming tasks such as SMS reminders, facilitating better scheduling of appointments, and bringing more integration and collaboration between Jigsaw service hubs across Ireland.

Iaptus has also allowed Jigsaw to grow its digital offerings, for example by introducing a new web referral form. This allows young people and those around them to make a referral to Jigsaw through a simple online form, which can be accessed at any time. iaptus has also allowed Jigsaw to roll-out new types of therapy. For example, we recently began offering group-based support for both young people and parents. These are examples of ways in which we are using iaptus to give young people and their families more choice around their therapy with Jigsaw.

Iaptus holds information about all the young people who come to Jigsaw to receive free therapy. We use this information as evidence to assess the quality of our own services, as well as to share insights with the wider mental health community. We can use this information to answer questions about who comes to Jigsaw, and if they get the help they need. When we use young people’s information in this way, we always make sure it is kept anonymous.

The team in Jigsaw works hard to make sure that there are strong safeguards in place to protect the information we keep about young people. This includes things like the security of the system, as well as how our staff use it in their day-to-day jobs. We have high standards of safety and encryption in place, and we make sure that all information is stored in compliance with all relevant legislation, such as GDPR. All young people who come to Jigsaw receive information about the data we collect, how we store it, and how we use it. They also have the right to access their data, or request that it is deleted.