Technology combo yields high satisfaction rates
Technology combo yields high satisfaction rates
Using systems in combination was essential
Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood, FL, improved patient satisfaction from the 81st percentile in March 2005 to the 99th percentile in June 2005, and it has remained at that level. At newly opened Memorial Hospital in Miramar, FL, satisfaction rates rose from 85% to 99% in one quarter.
The reason? Memorial Healthcare System, a public, nonprofit health care provider serving south Broward County, FL, has integrated a combination of infrared and active radio frequency identification (RFID) from Versus Technology of Traverse City, MI, with the Carecast system from IDX Systems Corp. of Burlington, VT. The result has been streamlined ED patient flow and increased patient satisfaction.
But neither system by itself would have been nearly as effective, asserts Jim Ball, RN, BSN, director of emergency services at Memorial. "It’s like having cake without ice cream," he explains. "If you have Carecast [which provides electronic patient records] and a big ED that is very spread out, well, it’s a great documentation system, but if you can’t find a patient, it may not save any time."
You have to use them in concert with each other, adds Marie Hankinson, MSN, RN, director of pediatric emergency services at Joe DiMaggio.
How the systems work
The Carecast system operates as an automated whiteboard, says Hankinson. They use it like an eraser board, she notes. Information including patient room numbers, patient names, and the nurse’s name, can be updated automatically, Hankinson says. "As soon as we assign a patient to a room, it populates that field," she adds. "You just look at the board, and you can see how long a patient has been in the department and if they are waiting for a lab or an X-ray, if you pull up the patient’s chart."
Her facility has been implementing Carecast for the past 12 months and added the Versus system about nine months ago. Versus allows the tracker to be updated automatically through the patient’s badge, which cost $75 each, she says. "We no longer have to document, for example, patient to radiology,’" Hankinson says. "The sensor will pick it up and actually clock them in there."
You cannot only watch your patient flow through the system, but staff and pieces of equipment as well, she adds. "So, for example, if the physician goes to see the patient, the information from their badge will automatically flow over to the Carecast tracker, which will read, physician at bedside,’" she explains.
Of course, with children for patients, there are special considerations concerning the badges. "When we tag our patients, we give them to the parent," Hankinson says. "It’s just easier that way."’
Children may pull off the badges, throw them, or put them in their mouths, she explains. Also chidren can be frightened when a badge is placed on them. Additionally, "because the child needs to be examined the clothes/shirt is removed or the gown is tossed in the hamper on discharge . . . so it is much better to have the parent wear it for many of these reasons," Hankinson adds.
The systems save staff a great deal of time, the managers agree. "It saves walking around a large ED trying to find a patient," says Ball. You may have 10 rooms, and a patient may go into a room for only 10 minutes, then go in the hallway. Subsequently, a new patient goes in. "This really helps you keep up," he says.
The systems free a lot of time for your staff, adds Hankinson. "It gives them real-time data, vs. them having to sit down and finish charting where they have been," she says.
It also will identify areas of gridlock on the computer screen, Hankinson explains. "This allows patients to be seen quicker and more efficiently. When patients come into triage, now that we have the locator, we can identify where empty rooms are and bring the patient right back instead of calling and asking if there are any beds available," she notes.
The statistics appear to back her up. The facility’s left without being seen (LWBS) rate had been 3.5% before implementation of the systems. It has declined steadily. In May, it was 2.8%, in June 1%, and in July 1.4%. "Our goal is less than 2%," Hankinson says.
The systems also save time for caregivers from other departments. "If a radiology tech comes into our department and wants to know where Suzie Smith’ is, they can look up on the screen and actually see where she is," Hankinson says.
Ball says getting up to speed with the systems does require a period of adjustment. "The growing pains can be minimized by planning out your training and educational component in advance," he says. "To take an employee new to system and get them ready to work in our ED is approximately a five-week orientation program, including the new systems."
The hands-on training required depended on "staffing up a bit" so there were no delays in patient care, Ball says. "The stress is a little less," he says. "One staff member can do the assessment while another does documenting with the computer."
Sources/Resource
For more information on integration technologies in your ED, contact:
- Jim Ball, RN, BSN, Director of Emergency Services, Memorial Hospital, Miramar, FL. Phone: (954) 987-2000. E-mail: [email protected].
- Marie Hankinson, MSN, RN, Director of Pediatric Emergency Services, Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, Hollywood, FL. E-mail: [email protected].
- IDX Systems Corp., 40 IDX Drive, P.O. Box 1010, Burlington, VT 05402-1070. Phone: (802) 862-1022. Fax: (802) 862-6848. Web: www.idx.com.
- Versus Technology, 2600 Miller Creek Road, Traverse City, MI 49684. Phone: (231) 946-5868. Fax: (231) 946-6775. Web: www.versustech.com/index.html.
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