Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in the UK has secured £191,000 of funding from NHS England’s Nursing Technology Fund (NTF) to support the implementation of a hi-tech system in a bid to improve patient safety.
The NTF was established by the UK Department of Health to help nursing services providers invest in new technology-enabled solutions for better patient care.
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Sherwood Forest Hospitals is said to be the first Trust in the East Midlands to launch the VitalPAC software system, which is designed to enable nurses to record clinical data on handheld iPod devices at the patient’s bedside.
The VitalPAC system has been designed to replace the traditional paper observations chart at the end of each bed, from the patient’s admission to hospital and throughout their stay.
Sherwood Forest Hospitals consultant anaesthetist Dr Lisa Milligan said that identifying high risk and deteriorating patients at the earliest possible opportunity ensures clinical staff can take the necessary action immediately to save lives.
"VitalPAC virtually eliminates the possibility of human error in both calculating scores and making a judgement call about a patient’s condition," Milligan added.
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By GlobalData"Studies have shown that the error rate in calculations is reduced three-fold thanks to the use of VitalPAC.
"The Nursing Technology Fund has enabled the VitalPAC project team to purchase essential items, such as iPads and charging units, and has helped to fund some of the staff involved in rollout of the project."
The trust is confident that the new system will have a positive impact on its cardiac arrest and mortality rates.
The VitalPAC system prompts nursing staff to take actions when observations are due, ensuring observations are completed accurately and on time.
The system also tailors the frequency of observations to the patient’s clinical condition, ensuring that the sickest patients’ observations are carried out more frequently and in accordance with the Trust’s Observations Policy.
When compared with the pen and paper method, the new automated system is said to be 40% faster for nurses to record a complete set of observations and calculate score.
Accessing and analysing data from the Trust’s other systems, comprising pathology, microbiology and radiology, the new software is said to give a clear and complete picture of the patient’s current condition.
Image: Sherwood Forest Hospitals is to implement a new VitalPAC system. Photo courtesy of Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
