AMCS Medical successfully installed its AMCS Patientlink system at a 250+ bed hospital in Munster, Ireland.
Background
A General Hospital in Munster, Ireland, worked with AMCS Medical in 2009 to successfully install a patient wandering system, AMCS Patientlink at their facility. The hospital is situated in a historic building, and had recently been refurbished and extended to include new departments, such as Pediatrics, Pathology, Psychiatric, Obstetrics and Gynecology. It also added a new entrance concourse, atrium, and additional ward space. The hospital is a mix of older and newer buildings, linked by an impressive atrium entrance area. It has a mixture of old flooring as well as cast concrete floors.
At the start of the project, AMCS Medical did a full review of the hospital and suggested a completely tailored real time location, patient wandering and safety system for the hospital. The hospital chose to use AMCS Patientlink, with a tamperproof security option. AMCS Medical suggested that Major Alert or Red Alert, real time location readers should be installed all hospital exits, stairwells, and exits from wards. In addition, on higher floors within the building, the ward exits directly out onto bridge corridors overlooking an atrium. This was danger area where possible accidents might occur. AMCS Medical suggested Red Alert readers at these bridge locations also. AMCS listened to what action the hospital wanted if these readers were activated. The choice of the system configuration was decided by the hospital and had the option of using existing alarms, pagers, door locks and other devices to ensure patient safety. AMCS obtained hospital floor plans and developed completely tailored software which included a full hospital floor plan for a helpful, instant, visual software aid.
How AMCS Patientlink Works Here
Upon admission, should hospital staff have concerns for the patient’s safety, and following their own patient health and safety guidelines, they have the option to suggest and provide the patient with the wearable, AMCS Patientlink safety tracking device within the ward. Health providers know that some patients can be in a confused state triggered by illness, the strange environment, or medication. Both the patient and relatives are told specifically how this simple system works and how it can help keep them safe.
In the care facility, once wearing the device, the patient can move freely about within safe areas. They are shown what happens when they move into orange alert areas (light flashes and buzzer sounds at the nurse’s station and also light flashes and a siren sounds at reader location). Using a simple light system at the nurse’s station, the nurses can see where in the ward an alert has been activated. When patients move back into designated safe areas, aural and visual alarms switch off without any hospital staff intervention. In this way, most patients can understand where safe and dangerous zones exist within the area.
Should a patient move to and stay within a dangerous area, then both Nursing and Security personnel are alerted and alarms will sound. Security staff have ongoing access to the AMCS Real Time Location Software which allows them to understand and pinpoint any major patient wandering and safety issues. Security then contacts the ward to check the alarm has been noticed and acted on. They also contact the mobile security personnel to go directly to the area to ensure patient safety. Using the software package, security can monitor direction of movement and can disable the alarm when the patient returns to the safe zone. The main monitor is located by the security camera system and security can see using both systems what is happening as it occurs.
When a tag has been tampered with, it immediately comes up on the monitor and security see where the patient is located by using the visual image on the software package. They then contact the relevant ward so that they can immediately alert staff and ensure patient safety. The nurses are also alerted by flashing light and alarm sounding at their station.
On an ongoing basis security see where tags should be replaced due to low battery. They make sure that the tags are replaced by AMCS.
In this hospital, security staff work closely with nursing staff as a team whenever any patient is under threat due to wandering into unsafe areas. They feel that this system contributes significantly to patient safety and overall peace of mind for both carers and relatives.
AMCS is just one phone call away from any personnel within the hospital who have a query on the system.