Patient Identification
About Temple St. Children’s University Hospital
CHI at Temple Street is an acute national paediatric hospital located close to Dublin’s City Centre. The hospital cares for 150,000 children per year including over 45,000 who attend the Emergency Department. Major specialties at Temple St today include neonatal and paediatric surgery, neurology, neurosurgery, nephrology, orthopaedics, ENT and plastic surgery. A staff of 90 Consultants and over 950 Nursing, Health and Social Care practitioners and other Support Staff provide this care.
The Challenge
CHI at Temple Street were looking for an automated, electronic Wristband Printing solution. Wristbands need to be printed on Patient Admission and on attendance to the Emergency Department. Previously, wristbands were created manually. This process was time-consuming and subject to human error in both the recording and subsequent reading of key Patient Information. A requirement for the solution included the need to capture all necessary Patient Information (First Name, Surname, MRN & Date of Birth) in both printed and barcode format. The barcode supports bedside integration with mobile tracking and medication delivery products.
Another important requirement was the need to facilitate the re-printing of wristbands as occasionally wristbands can become damaged or may need to be removed during the course of a hospital procedure. Wristband re-print allows Hospital staff to search and select a Patient by Surname, MRN etc.. and direct the printout to any printer located around the hospital.
The Solution
DMF Systems were selected to design, build and supply the Patient ID and Wristband re-printing solution. With their Multi-vendor Systems integration experience and track record in developing and deploying Hospital Information Systems and other Allied Health and Clinical Systems, DMF Systems were able to provide the solution that met all of CHI at Temple Streets requirements.
DMF Systems Patient ID solution once integrated with the Hospital PAS can access all key patient demographic information including the Admission Ward and/or the Specialty Department. The system automatically prints patient wristbands on designated printers around the Hospital. The information captured from the Hospital PAS when combined with the Patient ID rules engine created by DMF Systems executes the protocols as configured by the Hospital.
In daily operation specific sized wristbands automatically print, in the correct location, depending on whether the Patient is classified as an infant, child or adult. Separate rules for out of hours printing are also automated guiding the wristband print to the required patient location.
DMF Systems Patient ID and Wristband Reprinting application offers a user-friendly solution for the staff at Temple Street Children’s University Hospital. In addition to making the process of printing and reprinting of wristbands a straightforward task, User maintenance and Table maintenance screens gives the Systems administrator the flexibility to easily add and delete users or amend options around ‘Reprint reasons’ and ‘Out of Hours’ printing etc.
The Emergency Department of CHI at Temple Street is a large busy Pediatric department seeing children from 0 -16 years of age. The use of DMF Systems wristbands assist Clinical staff operating in this acute high pressure environment daily in maintaining and ensuring patient safety and correct identity, particularly for administration of medications and treatment.
-Ms AnneMarie Dowling
Clinical Nurse Manager 111, Emergency Department
As part of the overall solution DMF Systems combined with a specialist Hardware supplier for the provision of Wristband Printers, barcode scanners and Wristbands. Sato CT408i Thermal Transfer printers were used throughout, for their ease of use and their successful track record of installations in hospitals and laboratories across the world. The printers anti-microbial casing makes it most suitable for use in a health care environment. The wristbands themselves are hypoallergenic, hard wearing (both waterproof and resistant to chemical solution) and anti-bacterial.
Key Features
Fully automated facility which is compatible with any hospital PAS.
Proven system which delivers in a 24 x 7 x 365 environment.
Facility to manage print locations around the hospital.
Facility to manage printing rules- e.g Out of Hours printing, wristband size or wristband colour.
Easily search for patient by surname, D.O.B, or patient number where Wristband reprints are required.
Proven system which delivers in a 24 x 7 x 365 environment.
Facility to manage print locations around the hospital.
Facility to manage printing rules- e.g Out of Hours printing, wristband size or wristband colour.
Easily search for patient by surname, D.O.B, or patient number where Wristband reprints are required.
Patient I.D.- Key facts in Numbers
147,326 patient wristbands printed in 2017 across 6 Hospitals
2 Private Hospitals (19,971 wristbands printed)
3 University Hospitals (57,045 wristbands printed)
CHI at Temple Street (52,713 wristbands printed in Emergency Department and 17,597 inpatient wristbands)
3 University Hospitals (57,045 wristbands printed)