A regional business has helped an NHS trust save staff 88,000 hours of work and given them the tools to examine better data so staff can make more informed purchasing decisions.
Newark business unit Barcode Warehouse has announced details as part of its implementation of technology-based solutions with Zebra Technologies and Tagnos.
Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is a large acute NHS trust located in Kingston upon Hull and the East Riding of Yorkshire.
The hospital sees about 1 million patients a year, which puts pressure on the team and budget.
Barcode Warehouse can help provide a solution that combines inventory management and digital records of patient care with real-time location system tracking.
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The scheme has helped the trust reduce the time and cost impact of locating equipment and sterile instruments within its clinical spaces.
In 2016, the Department of Health launched the Scan4Safety initiative to identify how consistent scanning of barcodes on patient wristbands, care equipment, implants and locations would improve efficiency and safety within the NHS.
“We decided to follow the patient’s path throughout their journey, which is a very different approach to the project,” said Rachael Ellis, project director at Scan4Safety.
“This means we scan many parts of the patient pathway, including the products patients use in our wards before and after surgery.
“This also occurs when anesthesia is injected, a surgical procedure is performed, the patient is then transferred from the operating room to the rehabilitation room or intensive care unit, and finally when the patient is discharged from the hospital.
“This provides us with rich data insights to improve patient safety, reduce waste and expense, and improve overall hospital efficiency.”
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“Scanning barcodes in this way enables trusts to obtain completely clear information,” a spokesman for Barcode Warehouse said.
“It provides them with information about which patients used which products, when, where and which staff were involved, and supports contact tracing.”
Rachael Ellis said that based on the success of the Scan4Safety program, they hope to find solutions that can not only manage inventory and supply chain, but also solve more daily operational challenges faced by hospitals.
This is where the use of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) comes into focus, and at the end of 2021, after submitting the requirements and evaluating the responses of multiple suppliers, Barcode Warehouse was selected as the best supplier with the best value for money. Trust fund funds.
“We only adopt new solutions or embark on change programs when we have complete confidence that the new solutions will help us improve patient care,” Rachel said.
“This was something that came to mind when we were evaluating how we set up the GS1 Scan4Safety programme.
“We wanted a simple, easy-to-use system that clearly showed where lost assets could be found with just a few clicks of the mouse.
“This level of transparency is very powerful for our clinical colleagues.”
Today, GS1-approved RFID tags are used on all medical assets, equipment, beds, mattresses and sterile trays.
Because these critical items pass beneath fixed-position readers placed within the ceiling, the tags emit a signal that allows the entire hospital to instantly see their location.
This can be displayed in two easy-to-use ways: on the Zebra TC52 handheld device or through the Tagnos software on the desktop application.
These significantly help reduce the time spent locating medical equipment, reduce equipment loss, provide better usage insights, and simplify pre-planned maintenance.
Simon Hemingway, Director of Healthcare at The Barcode Warehouse, said: “The key benefits of our integrated solution are providing immediate control, visibility and situational awareness throughout the patient journey.
“By combining RFID technology with the proven benefits of point-of-care barcode scanning, we are empowering healthcare workers to deliver the highest level of patient care and the best patient experience.”
Because the right device is in the right place at the right time, the patient experience is dramatically improved.
An example of effective use of RFID is the traceability of sterile trays.
This enables staff at The Trust to locate all sterile trays within six minutes, reducing stress and increasing clinical efficiency.
Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has been recognized by NHS England as a model for RFID projects and has been awarded the prestigious honor of producing a global digital example blueprint of “how to implement RFID and RTLS from planning to execution”.
The blueprint is now used and shared with all NHS trusts as best practice for disseminating key project documents.
“Clinical staff can spend a lot of time looking for items,” Rachel said.
“In highly concentrated professional environments where time is of the essence, such as operating rooms, the ability to locate items accurately and quickly is critical.
“Especially when we think about items that patients need immediately, which unfortunately is a routine request.
“Being able to let staff know the location of their equipment extremely quickly is not only in the best interest of patients, but it also helps our ecosystem manage the equipment and maintain it regularly, all of which benefits our patients and staff.
“With our Scan4Safety and RFID integrated solution, the potential is huge.
“We have consolidated separate systems into an easy-to-use platform.
“Our new solution provides greater data transparency, allowing users to view dashboards, reports and details about specific locations, specific products, specific storage rooms and even specific equipment at the touch of a button – and with outstanding performance Data – we feel empowered to help our employees make better decisions.”
It is estimated that approximately 2,500 staff spend approximately 56 minutes per week (equivalent to 14 minutes per shift) searching for items as they may be unknowingly moved to another ward or taken out for routine maintenance.
A recent time and motion study of eight theater teams showed that over a four-hour period, eight theater team members (including clinicians searching for assets) spent a total of 3 hours and 48 minutes.
A spokesman for Barcode Warehouse said that by implementing the RFID solution, the average search time is now less than 43 seconds.
They added: “This saves approximately 35.2 hours per employee per year, equivalent to 88,000 hours saved across 2,500 employees, equivalent to 2,346 weeks per year.”
