Under the terms of the contract, signed in the first quarter of CSC fiscal year 2013, the e-whiteboard solution, based on technology developed by Cayder, will replace traditional handwritten whiteboards to give a clear and real-time view of patient flow and status.
The 1,150-bed trust has already trialled the e-whiteboards on a rapid turnover elderly care ward, stroke unit and neurosciences unit where it is used by multidisciplinary teams.
The e-whiteboards are one element of a multimillion-pound program of investment in Information Management and Technology (IM&T) at the trust over the next five years. This will see the introduction of e-observations, e-prescribing, the development of a clinical portal, the digitisation of patient documentation and a major investment in infrastructure to provide a new clinical-grade network and digital telephony throughout the trust.
"The trial phase was extremely successful in improving the flow of information and in turn the flow of patients across the organisation," said Steve Jessop, nurse director Medicine Health Group at Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust. "The system has a bi-directional interface with our patient administration system, so we can be certain that we have the latest information to ensure that we always know the location of a patient and the next steps in their care pathway."
The boards will provide the trust with interactive touch screen displays of ward activity, showing simple colour-coded indicators to facilitate improved ward management. This will enable healthcare professionals to check and update patient or bed status from any networked computer to provide reliable information, improving communication and enabling better patient care.
Nurses, therapists, clinicians and administrative staff have been involved in the design and deployment of the system to ensure that it is tailored to the needs of each ward and that users are able to move patients with virtually one touch of the screen.
"Staff no longer have to manually enter data into complex spreadsheets, which can be difficult and open to error. The e-whiteboards take away the high-intensity pressure often associated with managing patient flow," Jessop added.
The new phase will install CSC’s e-whiteboard solution trust-wide across its acute assessment units and surgical and medical wards. It will continue to create greater operational efficiencies and cost savings for Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, allowing hospital staff more time with patients and leading to shorter stays and improved discharge processes.
Additionally, the boards display each patient as a cubicle or bedded area, which will give Hull the ability to report the status and number of isolation facilities across the trust. This will help the trust with the identification and management of isolation facilities to support infection control practices.
The contract with CSC also includes the configuration of the software to the trust's specific needs and integration with the patient administration system.
"Having built a strong relationship with the trust, CSC is well positioned to deliver innovative solutions which support its IM&T investment program," said Graham Frost, sales director at CSC. "The e-whiteboards will deliver improvements in bed management, reduce and optimise treatment times and improve the treatment experience for its patients."
Related news articles:
- CSC's Profile
About Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust
Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust is one of the largest acute trusts in England, operating from two main sites: Castle Hill Hospital and Hull Royal Infirmary.
The trust provides a full range of acute services to the people of Hull and East Yorkshire and a number of specialist services to North Yorkshire, North and North East Lincolnshire.
About CSC
CSC is a global leader in providing technology-enabled business solutions and services. Headquartered in Falls Church, Va., CSC has approximately 98,000 employees and reported revenue of $15.9 billion for the 12 months ended March 30, 2012.
About Cayder
Cayder is a leading provider of touch enabled patient flow solutions for healthcare settings. Based at offices in Portishead near Bristol the team has pioneered the use of interactive touch technologies since 2008.