CHALLENGE
Improve patient safety and standardize patient identification throughout the hospital by developing an entirely new identification process to use at the time of registration.
SOLUTION
LaserBand PLS-101A - adult wristband
LaserBand PLS-103 - 30 laser labels with healthcare punching
RESULTS
-Identification and documentation printed directly to hospital floors, allowing incoming patients to bypass registration
-Significant decrease in time between admitting and "tagging" the patient, from more than 8 hours to just minutes
-Improved tracking of patient information, specifically patient tests and charges
-Streamlined process of generating wristbands & labels from multiple steps to one simple print function
-Cost efficiencies for standardizing all patient armbands & labels
DISCOVERING THE LASERBAND SOLUTION
Over the past three years, SSM DePaul Health Center has become the fastest growing hospital in St. Louis, Missouri while also becoming one of the most nationally recognized. DePaul's success is directly attributed to numerous quality enhancements made throughout the hospital, including improvements to patient safety.
Before discovering LaserBand, DePaul Health Care was like many other hospitals: patients entered the facility through various departments but its outdated, multi-function "Addressograph card" patient ID system only served those who came directly through admitting. Utilizing its continuous quality improvement model, DePaul evaluated new admitting approaches that would improve upon this system and enable uniform patient identification throughout the hospital.
DePaul selected a LaserBand® wristband and laser label combination to solve their patient safety concerns while also addressing cost and time efficiencies. According to Steve Kurd, clinical educator of Specialty Care Units at DePaul, "LaserBand provided a major process improvement...paperwork now immediately prints no matter where patients enter the facility...the system is set up so that once the patient is admitted, 2-3 sheets of labels, 3-4 face sheets, and 1 armband are printed directly to the [relevant] floors."
EXECUTING THE LASERBAND SOLUTION
Ease of execution is what allowed the nursing, emergency & information systems departments to agree upon the LaserBand solution. All departments actively took part in decision-making as well as education and implementation after a successful pilot of the program was conducted in the emergency unit. According to Steve Kurz, "nursing educators simply developed an initial training packet that was distributed to each floor...leaders on the floors then came up with the best way to train their people." meanwhile, DePaul's information system department discovered that the hospital could print LaserBand® PLS-101 wristbands, LaserBand® PLS-103 laser labels and patient information documentation all at once using their existing HP 4000 and HP 4100 printers with multiple trays. After a simple in-house reconfiguration of the hospital's McKesson HBOC Star system, users in various hospital departments now simply select "print" in the software's toolbar to quickly generate concise patient information.
GROWING THE LASERBAND SOLUTION
According to Steve Kurz, "the capabilities of barcoding are unlimited - from patient care delivery to testing - just as long as it is efficient." DePaul is currently looking for ways in which to capture other patient transaction information through barcoding!
A TRULY "ONE TOUCH" SOLUTION
THEN
Previously nurses would have to manually enter a series of information when conducting bedside blood glucose tests. A nurse was required to enter her social security number, then the patient's medical record number in order to record and monitor simple charges or test results.
NOW
Today, when used in conjunction with Johnson & Johnson's SureStep® Flexx Blood Glucose Monitor, LaserBand® wristbands provide SSM DePaul Health Center's nurses with a means to effortlessly record blood glucose testing charges and results. A nurse simple scans her employee barcoded ID badge then the patient's barcoded wristband. Test results are downloaded to the lab and the patient is immediately charged.
ABOUT LASERBAND
As the world's leading creator of laser-generated wristbands and labels, LaserBand continues to provide personal identity products to professionals in healthcare, emergency response, corrections and beyond. Our specially engineered products were developed to answer the evolving needs of a broad range of situations where unmistakably accurate identification is required. With a wide array of cost-effective products, LaserBand® wristbands and labels have become the new standard for simplicity and accuracy in identification.
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