Three Ways Information Technology Can Improve Patient Safety

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Patient safety is a persistent concern in the healthcare field. From infection control and emergency readiness to medical errors, hospitals across the country engage in a multi-faceted effort to improve patient safety each year. The Joint Commission recently issued their 2021 list of safety goals that touch upon three ways healthcare systems can leverage technology to improve patient safety. For example, technology can help reduce patient harm associated with clinical alarm systems; better identify patient safety risks in the hospital through better video security; and improve staff communication by integrating IT systems.

Risks associated with alarm fatigue
Alarm fatigue is a real and present danger in the nursing field. The constant beeping from beds, ventilators, pumps, and more, meld to create white noise in a hospital setting that is far too easy to ignore. The latest research shows that 72 to 99% of all alarms in hospitals are false. The problem creates fatigue in clinical care providers that ultimately could cause medical mistakes.

The Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation released recommendations to alleviate this issue. They suggest the primary remedy for alarm fatigue is to have an alarm-management system in place. One analysis of the available research concurred that health information technology had a positive effect on patient safety, including alleviating alarm fatigue by reducing false positives. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) says, “Developing systems to manage alerts, establish levels of importance, and make them unambiguous is a critical patient safety priority.”

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Advantages of video security on patient safety
The ability to identify and mitigate risks doesn’t end at the patient’s bedside. Many hospitals are shoring up their video surveillance technology to improve patient safety as part of a comprehensive strategy. How can providers use these tools to improve patient safety? How can these systems integrate with IT to lessen the risk to patients?

With the goal of better identifying patient safety risks, hospitals are creating surveillance strategies to mitigate risks, protect sensitive Personal Health Information (PHI), and address incident resolution. Today’s security monitoring solutions offer sophisticated algorithms that can proactively monitor and alert on unusual activity, from motion in restricted areas to facial recognition. Facility entrances and exits, equipment and medication storage closets, and even elevators, can all be monitored to ensure a more streamlined incidence response.

Networked video solutions take the siloed analog CCTV cameras of the past and replace them with not only sharper images and clearer audio but an integrated system that coordinates real-time alerts across an entire system. Sophisticated artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms allow the security system to detect and categorize threats. These platforms can interact with other systems on the network including access control, mobile devices, loudspeakers, and even electronic health record (EHR) and patient monitoring systems.

Benefits of integrated communication for patient safety
Studies show that enhanced IT for patient care can improve outcomes-based decision making and lead to higher patient satisfaction from an improved clinical response time. From e-prescribing to smart pumps, automated medication dispensing cabinets to new nurse call platforms, all of these tools have been shown to improve patient care delivery. The various technology has created a patchwork of dispersed systems around the hospital that lack the interoperability needed to make all of these systems work more efficiently. Hospitals seeking to meet the Joint Commission’s 2021 standards need an integrated communications hub.

An integrated communications hub could improve response time for clinical care by cutting down on false alarms that send providers running from room to room needlessly. These systems also can improve security by more effectively monitoring the entire facility, without violating HIPAA privacy rights. Patient satisfaction and care delivery could streamline and improve as well. Even the work/life balance of healthcare providers stretched to their limits could improve.

There is evidence now that these efforts have begun to pay off. A recent report by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) shows efforts to improve safety with technology and human interventions have resulted in:

  • 2.1 million fewer patients harmed

  • 87,000 fewer patient deaths

  • Cost savings of around $19.8 billion

The latest data shows that ineffective communication between healthcare providers and the technology systems currently in place are causing harm to patients, providers, and the bottom line.

TRL Systems has been working with healthcare providers for nearly four decades. Today, we can design a networked communication system for your hospital that can integrate nurse call and communication platforms, with security and access systems, workflow improvement, bed monitoring, and much more. The standard today is integration to meet the needs of patients, cut costs, and improve the quality of life for your providers. Talk with our team to find out how we can help you meet your 2021 safety goals.