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New Technology Promotes Patient Safety
02/01/2006
Preventing errors and maintaining the highest patient safety standards remain some of Clarian's guiding principles. New safety measures are being put in place at its newest hospital: Clarian North Medical Center.
Here's what patients can expect:
Bar Code Scanning of Medications
Medications ordered by a patient's physician are entered into a centralized computer system. Before nurses dispense a pill, vial or syringe, they scan employee, patient and medication identification codes.
"This ensures the right patient is given the right medication, the correct dosage, at the right time and under the correct route of administration," says Janis Watts, RN, clinical project lead.
This bar code technology alerts caregivers if there are any discrepancies such as wrong dose or time. Watts says the new technology cuts down on medication errors as well as provides real-time documentation. In addition, the bar code system can be accessed by all appropriate caregivers, making care faster and more efficient.
Single Patient Chart
Clarian North Medical Center is also moving to electronic patient charting to create a single patient chart, instead of paper copies for each clinician or caregiver. Electronic charting done at Clarian North Medical Center and physician offices located at that hospital also is accessible to clinicians across the Clarian system. "Electronic charting allows us to share information across the continuum of care so everyone benefits," says Watts.
For example, if a patient's primary care physician records an allergic reaction to penicillin in a patient's chart, and that patient is later in an accident and taken to the emergency room at Methodist, the ER physician accesses the chart and immediately knows that patient's medical history.
Watts says sharing information is now easier and more convenient, and privacy is still protected. Access to patient medical records is only granted to those at the appropriate levels.
Prompts and Alerts
A number of various prompts and alerts are part of the system as well, including the following:
These alerts automatically pop up as the nurse or other caregiver is administering medication and scanning bar codes into the system. Watts says this process is an improvement over how it has been done by hospitals nationwide - information residing with physicians and caregivers, or in medical textbooks. The new system makes this information immediately available at the patient's bedside.
While the new electronic bar coding technology is a substantial financial investment, Watts says it helps ensure fewer lives are lost due to medical errors. "This investment reinforces the heart of our work - giving patients the best care possible," she says. "Patients can be assured that their caregivers have the most up-to-date information."