With a view to augmenting workflow efficiency and improving patient safety, Smart Ward initiatives strike to achieve AI & Automation, Internet of Medical Thing (IoMT) and Paperless Ward Round.
It is worth attaching our attention to the introduction of ‘e-Vital Signs’, which refers to the digitalization of parameters. Having data transmitted automatically, nursing staff could spend less time on documenting vital signs of patients. They could have their attention brought back to bed-side care instead of data collection. Not only does the transformation from manual to electronic charting lessen their workload but also heighten data quality. Digitalization of vital signs guarantees clinical decisions are made based on up-to-date and properly recorded data, which facilitates clinical staff in identifying patient deterioration. In contrast, traditional documentation practice inevitably involves more errors such as incorrect or delayed data input, bringing adverse impacts on abnormality detection and clinical decisions making. With higher efficiency, accuracy and completeness of clinical documentation process, hospitals could provide quality health care services. It exemplified how the application of IoMT, which refers to healthcare information technology systems and sensors connected via networking could improve diagnosis accuracy, reduce errors and lower the cost of medical care.
Incident prevention has been our emphasis to maintain quality care and safeguard patient safety. The external collaboration project hereby provides a technological solution to locate missing patients and prevent fall incidents. For example, the smart patient bracelet equipped with location tracking and motion sensor could respectively locate patients who are not found and alert nurses at the juncture of fall or when pre-fall is detected. Concurrently, a hospital bed monitoring system is under exploration to identify abnormal on-bed activity. Fall detection would be a crucial safety measure in preventing incidents. Health monitoring is thus made continuous while wards are made a safer place to stay.
Other than the individual benefits that the above projects bring, their combination contributes immensely to the development of clinical AI and a virtual command center. A clinical AI model could utilize real-time patient information captured through smart vitals and wearables for patient deterioration or adverse outcomes prediction, followed by an escalation plan and auto-notification to invite earlier intervention of clinical staff. Prompt treatments could be given to patients before their conditions worsen, improving patients’ outcome. Having clinical care data-driven, patient quality care and safety could be promoted and workflow efficiency could be enhanced.
Last but not least, paperless ward round plays a significant role in making our wards smart. Papers and forms would change into digital – electronic records increase the record-keeping quality like prescription legibility, lower the risks of losing and misplacement hence reduce administrative workload. The workflow efficiency could be heightened. In addition, it serves as an integrated platform to assemble patient data on which information is readily shared among healthcare workers for multi-disciplinary communication. When handover is smooth, care continuation is ensured, which contributes to maintaining patient safety.
