Vim & Vigor - Fall 2010 - (Page 56)
Seeing
By ElisE sims
Safety
labels from the laboratory. Those labels were matched to the patient through identification at the bedside and then transported back to the lab for processing. With the new SoftID technology, after first verbally confirming the patient’s identity, the phlebotomist or nurse scans the patient’s name and date of birth into the handheld wireless device. Matching information appears on the screen and then prints on a label, which is directly attached to the container holding the blood sample drawn from the patient. Another benefit is the ability to capture up-to-the-minute information on tests that may be ordered by multiple physicians. In the past, a patient may have to undergo a second, or even third, needle stick to draw blood samples if new orders came in after the phlebotomist left the laboratory. With SoftID, updated orders for blood tests are communicated electronically to the device carried by the phlebotomist into the patient’s room reducing the need for repeated needle sticks should any additional tests be entered into the system.
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New technology sets patients at ease
atients undergoing blood tests at the hospitals of Community Healthcare System have extra reassurance that their sample will be labeled and processed properly thanks to new technology. SoftID is an electronic patient tracking system that ensures proper handling of patient specimens and reduces repeated needle pokes. “The phlebotomists were very thorough explaining everything as they were drawing my blood, and that made me more comfortable,” says Cyndi Gurney of Schererville. “I felt more confident and safe knowing that all my information is right in the palm of their hand. I’m a hard stick, actually, my veins collapse. It’s very beneficial to have fewer needle sticks.” The SoftID wireless mobile system is used by phlebotomists (specialists who draw a patient’s blood) and nurses to scan a patient’s armband and double-check his or her identity bedside. Collection labels are printed out directly from the handheld device and then attached to the specimen container as each sample is drawn. “We want to ensure that our patients feel safe in our care,” says Ethel Urbi, system director, Community Healthcare System Central Laboratory. “With SoftID, our patients get to see their own blood drawn and labeled before going to the laboratory for processing.” Previously during a routine blood draw, the patient’s name and date of birth were verified against preprinted
EPIC Access
Your medical record is as unique as your fingerprint and tells a health story that can determine a future course of treatment. Community Healthcare System is taking steps to make sure your information is safe and accessible whenever you need care at our hospitals, outpatient facilities or physician offices. A new electronic patient information system, called ePiC, can be accessed by your doctors, nurses, pharmacist, physical therapist—anyone involved in your care—from their workstation or from handheld or mobile devices and provides a complete picture of your health history. When combined with new tracking technology, like the SoftiD bar code system, this integrated system also helps prevent misidentification.
online
For more information about the innovative technologies available through the hospitals of Community Healthcare System, visit our website at www.comhs.org.
Innovation Station
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Vim & Vigor • Fa l l 2 010
http://www.comhs.org
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Fall 2010
Vim &_Vigor - Fall 2010
Contents
Community Message
Community Briefs
Good Health Is Good Business
Quality Care to Count On
Healthy Habits start in Homeroom
What’s in Your Medicine Cabinet?
See the Future
The Female Factor
Take a Bite Out of Stress
Starring Role
Shouldering the Pain
Train Your Brain
What Now?
Choose Your Own Adventure
Gold Medal Workouts
Spotlight on Community Hospital
Spotlight on St. Catherine Hospital
Spotlight on St. Mary Medical Center
Seeing Safety
Vim & Vigor - Fall 2010
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