May 6, 2009
Licking Memorial Hospital (LMH) continuously looks for new ways to improve and streamline processes to benefit the patients’ health care experience. Nationwide, one of the most common hindrances to patient safety in hospitals is human error. Even though LMH has excellent standards in place to protect patients, the Hospital continuously evaluates ways to improve processes and minimize the chance of error.
LMH recently integrated new technology for inpatient nursing units that eliminates a repetitious step in collecting patient information, thereby reducing the chance that an error will be made. CareFusion Nursing Data Collection uses a small, hand-held scanner to electronically capture vital signs and enter them into the patient’s chart. For example, when a staff member checks a patient’s blood pressure and pulse rate, the information will be scanned along with the patient’s wrist-band barcode. The blood pressure and pulse measurements no longer need to be manually keyboarded into a computer.
“Our staff has always been very diligent and taken great care to get every detail right,” said Debbie Young, Vice President of Patient Care. “However, there is always the slight possibility of making a human error, such as transposing numbers. This technology greatly decreases the chance of those kinds of mistakes. Our nurses and point of care technicians are very excited about using CareFusion because they care deeply about our patients’ safety, and they realize what a valuable tool this is.”
CareFusion is a product of Cardinal Health, a manufacturer and distributor or medical and surgical supplies and technology. Cardinal Health Project Manager Michael Bazan worked with the LMH staff to implement the new technology and make sure the staff was fully trained. He wrote a message to LMH’s executive administration to express his confidence in LMH’s usage of CareFusion. The message said he was amazed at the quality of care he found at LMH.
“I believe this is one of the smoothest implementations I have had the opportunity to manage. I have worked with CareFusion for 5 years next month and this was the cleanest implementation to date, and I am thrilled,” Michael wrote. “I spend a lot of time in a lot of different hospitals, both large and small, and I see a lot of different philosophies of patient care…. The cleanliness of your facility is unparalleled. I have never seen a hospital as clean and as odor-free as LMH. I think the single item that has been the most compelling and personally touching has been the caring nature of your entire staff. Again, I have never seen a staff that has been so pleasant and patient-focused. Your staff truly ‘cares’ for its patients. The policies that you have implemented are working, and I have seen the first-rate care that your patients receive…. I would feel very secure in having any family member be a patient at your facility. I thank you and your staff for reminding me why I became involved in health care.”
The new CareFusion system works in conjunction with other technology added at LMH in recent years. The electronic medical record makes it possible for a physician to have access to a patient’s medical information 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In addition, the bedside medication verification system increases patient safety by comparing the patient’s ID wristband to ensure correct medication is administered to the right patient by the proper method at the right time and dosage.
Licking Memorial Hospital has served the medical needs of Licking County residents since it was founded in 1898. The 227-bed facility employs more than 1,650 staff members to meet the health care needs of the community. Licking Memorial Hospital is proud to have been named one of the nation’s Top 100 Hospitals for a 10th year. For more information, visit www.LMHealth.org .