Advantages of using OR Tracking Systems over Manual Entry

In the last entry I introduced OR tracking systems. In this one, I would like to discuss the advantages offered by these systems over manual systems.

A major benefit of using tracking systems is that it helps with the predictability of patient flow. When downstream units can predict when patients are going to arrive, it is easier for them to ensure that a bed is available when the patient arrives. Units are also better able to match staff supply with demand.

A second advantage of using OR tracking systems is that less revenue is lost due to ORs that are unused. In manual systems, anesthesia prep units do not know that an OR is available as soon as it is turned over. With automated systems, said units can anticipate when an OR will become available and can send a patient to it before the OR is idle.

A third benefit of using patient tracking systems is that it allows for quick detection of “wrong patient-wrong procedure” events. An RFID system was tested to determine the speed of response to bringing the patient into a wrong OR. The process model and the information flow look like this:

 

 

When a patient is wheeled into the wrong OR, it takes 30 seconds on average for an alert to be displayed in that OR, and it takes about three and a half minutes on average for the system to send pager messages like the one below to the appropriate staff.

A fourth advantage of using OR tracking systems is that the precision of a patient’s whereabouts are significantly improved. In a study comparing the accuracy of an RFID system to manual recording, the average delay between an activity and its documentation was 80 seconds for the RFID system and 735 seconds for manual entry. The significantly improved precision offered by the RFID system no doubt would greatly improve the ability of downstream units to predict patient flow as well as save time wasted by healthcare professionals checking in on a patient that is no longer there.

Together, these advantages make a strong case for the use of patient tracking systems in OR suites.

OR Tracking Systems

Traditionally, healthcare professionals have not had access to real-time information regarding a patient’s perioperative whereabouts. As a result, the different units that a patient flows through cannot anticipate when a patient is about to arrive, or when he/she should move to the next one. For example, the anesthesia prep unit may not know when the OR that is scheduled to have the patient is ready, or an ICU doesn’t know when a patient is going to leave the OR. In addition to poor patient flow, this results in underutilization of resources and a loss of revenue.

To track a patient’s location live, electronic status boards can be placed in the units through which surgical patients pass, or where interested parties work, such as the surgeon’s office, the prep area, PACU, ICUs, and wards. The patient’s location and status is entered by healthcare professionals in the different units, usually by pressing one function key. The boards indicate each patient’s location as well as other relevant information such as the surgery, surgeon, and the patient’s biographical data. Color coding is used to indicate a patient’s location and the surgical stage that the patient is in. Flashing is used to indicate delays or complications.

One example of such a system is LiveData’s OR-Dashboard.

Besides displaying patient status and location, it provides reminders and real-time tools to improve quality such as Active Timeout.

LiveData also offers PACU Dashboard for the Post Anesthesia Care Unit and Patient-Aware OR to deliver relevant case information to the entire OR team.