Olympus Secures Multiple Patient Safety Tenders
Olympus has secured tenders with three NHS trusts in East Anglia to install its proven patient safety equipment. Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (King's Lynn) and the James Paget University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (Yarmouth) will all benefit from the Olympus BloodTrack Courier on all blood issue fridges, and SafeTx via hand-held PDA/scanners at ward level. Additionally, Queen Elizabeth and James Paget hospitals will receive Auto PPI (Positive Patient Identification) wristband printing on all wards involved. Implementation of these systems will result in an increase in patient safety and compliance with Blood Safety and Quality Regulations.
On average, in any year a hospital will have a 50% chance of suffering a transfusion related problem caused by human error. The BloodTrack Courier and SafeTx patient safety systems from Olympus have been developed to greatly minimise these preventable errors. "Implementation of these systems will assist us greatly in moving towards full compliance with Blood Safety and Quality Regulations and MHRA/CPA compliance" commented Barry Hunt, Head BMS for Haematology and Blood Transfusion at the James Paget Hospital Trust.
Based on the use of 2D bar-coding, the BloodTrack suite electronically controls and tracks the movement of blood products into and out of hospital fridges. This can be used in conjunction with the point of care SafeTx PDA, which ensures the right blood is given to the right patient. By monitoring who administered it, SafeTx provides a full audit report showing the movement and fate of every unit of blood or blood components.
For an additional level of assurance, BloodTrack and SafeTx are combined with the Auto PPI system to ensure positive and accurate patient and blood component identification every time. This system gives each patient a unique, indelible eye- and machine-readable wristband with 2D barcode for full integration with the BloodTrack suite. These easy-to-use software systems, powered by Neoteric Technology, have been developed to make healthcare safer for the patient and to simplify the clinical transfusion process.
Barry Hunt concluded, "The transfusion of blood and blood components remains one of the most effective and often life saving therapies in Healthcare but transfusion can carry significant risks. These potential risks should be greatly minimised by the implementation of the user friendly Olympus electronic blood tracking system".
SOURCE: Olympus