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l Vall d'Hebron University Hospital and Telefónica have taken a new step in 2018 to improve patient safety and the efficiency of operating room flows in the Surgical Block by implementing an innovative patient traceability system. This system ensures correct patient location within the surgery area, prevents errors, and optimizes surgical activity.
When a patient enters the surgery area, an orderly places a wristband with a tag that allows them to be identified throughout their surgical process. The system already detects that the patient is in transit within the surgical area, and a set of beacons distributed throughout the block allows their real-time location to be detected. Therefore, from the moment the patient enters the Surgical Block until they leave, all their movements are automatically recorded.
The system sends information about the patient's situation to all screens distributed in the surgery area: "In preparation," "In surgery," "Recovery," or "In recovery to leave." In addition, a color code accompanies this written information, making it very easy to follow the patient's journey.
Movements within the Surgical Block are always reflected in green on the screen, while if the patient is already leaving the block, this movement is reflected in blue. When the information appears with a yellow or red color, the patient is in surgery. When they are in the Pre and Post Anesthetic Recovery Unit (URPA) waiting to enter the operating room, the information appears on a red background. When the patient has already returned from the operating room and is recovering in the URPA, the information appears on a yellow background.
PIONEERING SYSTEM IN SPAIN
Dr. Vicenç Martínez Ibáñez, Manager of Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, and Kim Faura, General Director of Telefónica in Catalonia, visited the Surgical Block this morning to see the new traceability system in operation. Dr. Vicenç Martínez highlighted that "we are very happy with this high-tech system, which is the culmination of the transformation of the Surgical Block and allows us to improve patient monitoring". For his part, Kim Faura shared his satisfaction with this technological collaboration, remarking that "it aligns with one of Telefónica's priority objectives: to use technology to improve people's lives. The fact that medical teams can fully dedicate themselves to their work without having to worry about anything else will undoubtedly improve not only the flow in the surgical block but also, and significantly, patient care. This is a key role of technology and a value of the Company".
This automated traceability system is the first to be implemented in a Spanish hospital. To develop this pioneering project, Telefónica collaborated with MySphera, specialized in e-health solutions.
PATIENT APP
Now, the new traceability system is connected to the Vall d'Hebron app, which is the mobile application that patients and companions can download, and it automatically records and sends information about patient movements. The new system also sends this information to the screens in the companions' waiting room, but coded to ensure patient anonymity. Therefore, companions know at all times where the patient is and where they are going.
Dr. Juan Antonio Hueto, head of the Surgical Block, stated that "knowing the patient's location automatically makes their journey through the area much safer, as it eliminates the possibility of human error in transferring from one place to another". Furthermore, thanks to the digitization of all the information recorded by the system, "we will be able to analyze patient flows within the block to optimize the operation of the operating rooms", he added.
The patient traceability system improves communication among all actors in the surgery area, such as doctors, nurses, and orderlies. For example, the nurses in the Surgical Block were responsible for manually entering information into the computer system.
In the second phase of system implementation, the tag or traceability label will also be used with operating rooms and with equipment in the Surgical Block, such as ultrasound machines or defibrillators, for example. Thus, commented Dr. Hueto, "the tracking flow within the block is closed. This will allow us to quickly find a device when we need it and, in this way, professionals will be able to dedicate their time to other tasks".
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