NHS Western Isles has reduced any potential clinical communication risks that are posed by frequent handovers and multidisciplinary working by implementing the Cortix patient safety system. The wireless Cortix suite includes Handovers, Task Management, Patient Lists and Ward & Admission Boards, driven by a mixture of PCs, iPods and iPads throughout the hospital.
Cortix improves clinical communication by making it easier and faster for clinicians and nurses to adopt a more structured approach to handovers and task workflows. With instant access to patient information clinical decisions can be made earlier, helping to shorten the patient’s stay.
The wireless clinical handover module uses the Situation-Background-Assessment-Recommendation methodology. Dr Jim Ward, NHS Western Isles Medical Director, stressed that “Effective handover is crucial to patient safety and continuity of care, and this is enabled by Cortix. This system, implemented by teams of front line clinicians, working on iPods and utilising WiFi available in all clinical areas is being used to schedule and record the completion of clinical tasks. It has become the basis for multidisciplinary handover arrangements inWesternIslesHospital.”
Cambric Systems founder Euan Nicol explained how the use of named tasks and ‘task sets’ guard against omission and duplication. “Since everyone in the team can access all tasks instantly, queries are greatly reduced even when patients change wards frequently.
“For the first time, users are able to use flexible Patient Lists to drive their workplan, filtered and ordered just the way they want.”
NHS Western Isles IT Manager Jon Harris commented: “Cortix is a great example of technology enabling clinicians to do what they do best – caring for patients.”
Summing up, Dr Ward said “The fully integrated Cortix system has replaced the more laborious paper chase.”
NHS Dumfries & Galloway and NHS Highland have also purchased unlimited licences for Cortix.
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Hebrides Today brings you the latest news from the Western Isles
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