Wireless Technology improves processes in Oulu University Hospital

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Wireless Technology improves processes in Oulu
University Hospital

• Heli Rissanen, Oulu University Hospital
• Department of Surgery and Intensive Care

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Northern Ostrobothnia Hospital District

• Northernmost of the five university hospital
  districts in Finland, covering allmost 50 of
  Finland
• 375 000 inhabitants within NOHD
• 800 000 inhabitants within the special health
  care region
• Three hospitals Oulu University Hospital,
  Oulaskangas Hospital and Visala Hospital
• 13 accountable units
• 5800 employees
• 112 000 patients, 65 000 treatment periods,
  400 000 outpatient visits per year

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Oulu University Hospital

• Opened in 1972
• Responsible for organizing specialized medical
  care for the whole of northern Finland
• 1000 beds
• Biggest unit Department of surgery and intensive
  care
• 10 000 operations, 35 000 outpatient visits

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Present IT in OUH

• Electronic patient records (EPR), web based
• Electronic (filmless) radiology 2005
• Electronic referral and reply 2005
• Web based laboratory system
• Lan Wlan
• Laptops on clinical ward rounds

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Goals from hospitals point of view

• Develop and pilot concept of wireless hospital
• Enhance processes in hospital
• Technology only improves the quality and
  profitability of healthcare services if new
  procedures are simultaneously developed in as
  innovative as the products themselves

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Wireless Technology in Hospital Operation
Management

• Wireless data transfer
• Wireless positioning Patients, staff and
  equipment
• Wireless sensor technology
• Employees safety equipment

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Workpagages

• WP1 Logisticanalysis of chosen processes
• WP2 Pre-piloting in the policlinic of urology,
  surgery ward, operating rooms
• WP3 Using wireless technology in hospital
  operations PDA mobile phone
• WP4 Networkplanning for new hospital
• WP5 Piloting
• WP6 Optimization of the processes

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First steps towards wireless hospital

• Processanalyses (urology endoprosthesis)
• To processcharts phase, responsibility, form of
  information and time spent in each phase
• Charts very accurate ? Disadvantages
• Re-engineering of processes
• How we want to take advantage of wireless
  environment?
• Which applications really add value?

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Pre-Piloting in policlinic of urology

• 15 patients a day
• Tag with the serial number to the patient
• In some units BS in every room, in other units
  (radiology, labs, etc) only one BS
• Through tracking system we can follow, where the
  patient is

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Layout
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Interfaces integration
- HIS
-EPR -Other sys- tems
Interfaces
Tracking system
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Integration with tracking and EPR
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Employees safety tool

• Push button of the tag ? alarm, nurse call,
  nearest person, etc
• Information through Wlan to database, which is
  part of the WHAP
• Called person will have message to her/his mobile
  phone
• Time delay 30 sec.

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PDA as a user interface

• PC in nurses/doctors pocket
• Web browser
• Web based system ? No need for any separate
  interface
• Nurses can write down patients data directly to
  the EPR
• e.g. temperature and medication
• Bed-side reporting in real time!

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Advantages

• Economical, technological and quality
• No hand-registration ? minimal error rate
  better quality of data
• Registration in real time
• Multiple registration diminishes
• Improved processes and quality of care
• Measure first ? then improve
• Health care performances and outcomes still tough
  to measure!
• Most reliable way Time spent in each phase

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Advantages

• Medical staff knows, where their patients are
• We can plan our operations more accurately
• Registration in new open care building is in one
  place only ? Effects on layout
• Employees safety improves
• Way to get information faster and easier!

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Potential savings due to the EPR and wireless
environment
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Endoprothesis study

• Time spent to Non-value-add phases

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Time spent for material management in a hospital
ward (26 beds)
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... And challenges

• Incompatibility of medical devices and software
• Messy interval during the shift from old to new
  technology
• Time, money and patience needed
• Technological advantages sometimes hard to
  define...
• Benefits are not in the same place where costs
  are caused and will become visible later
• Technology does never replace management/leadershi
  p!!!!

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• Thank you!
• heli.rissanen_at_ppshp.fi
• 358405399028