Colleagues on our acute sites will be familiar with regular all-staff emails asking where misplaced pieces of equipment can be found.
Those messages should soon be a thing of the past thanks to new digital tracking technology, just launched in the applications section of FirstPort.
The Medical Equipment Tracking system will allow staff to immediately pinpoint hundreds of pieces of kit, from anaesthetic machines, bladder scanners and blood warmers, to the interpreter on wheels, suction units and ventilators.
The equipment has been fitted with wireless RFID (radio frequency identification) so it can be quickly tracked down.
This latest example of the innovation underpinning our current drive for Transformation and Reform has been provided by colleagues in the Medical Physics team, supported by Digital.
They’ll be visiting wards to train staff how to use the new application.
As with many of our advances, the new University Hospital Monklands has also had a leading role. The Monklands Replacement Project (MRP) is spearheading the testing of hi-tech systems due to its ambition for the new Monklands to be Scotland’s first digital hospital.
MRP Redesign Lead Donna McHenry said: “The MRP team are delighted that the Medical Equipment Tracking functionality is now available across the acute sites.
“The central tracking function generated by the RFID system means that hospital staff will be able to find devices more quickly, ensuring that it’s available in the right place at the right time for patient care.
“RFID will play a huge part in the operation of the new University Hospital Monklands and aligns with our digital hospital aspirations.
“Evidence has shown that RFID tracking provides greater efficiency and improves outcomes across the patient pathway. We’re delighted to be able to provide this functionality, which has already been adopted across a number of hospital sites in the country.
“The Medical Physics team have been working tirelessly on this project for a number of years and we are grateful for their ongoing support to implement it.”
Click on “M” in the A-Z on the FirstPort applications section to find Medical Equipment Tracking, including a list of kit included. Staff will be given appropriate training on use of the system.
