"We are the first Louisiana hospital--and second pediatric hospital in the nation--to begin using Bridge's MedPoint system," said Mary Perrin, vice president of Operations at Children's Hospital. "Our responsibility is to provide our children the best and safest care. To maintain our leadership position in pediatrics requires constant monitoring of practices and processes. It also means investing in the latest, smartest technology. With this new initiative, and the use of a new ordering system for medication, we are now able to offer more of the latest in patient safety technology to the 55,000-plus patients we treat each year."
Making a good safety record better
Two years ago, at the direction of its president and CEO, Steve Worley, Children's Hospital formed a multi-disciplinary team to study in depth all issues related to medication errors and to develop an effective course of action to enhance patient safety.
"We discovered our safety record was well above the national average," said Troy Russo, assistant director of Pharmacy. "Nevertheless, we knew we could do better. Careful investigation revealed we could achieve the greatest impact by using barcode technology and electronic ordering to intercept medication errors at the patient bedside before they occur."
Barcode technology: easy to use, easy to interface
"We have been looking forward to the installation of this clinical information system for nurses," said Lawanda Gordon, RN, Children's Hospital's vice president of Nursing, "so it was important that it be really user friendly."
With the new system, nurses scan the barcode of the medication, the patient ID bracelet and their own ID badge. MedPoint verifies the "five rights" of medication administration--right patient, drug, dose, time and route of administration (oral, injection or intravenous)--and checks for safe dosing levels. It also alerts nurses of potential hazards with look-alike, sound-alike medication. MedPoint eliminates many of the manual steps previously required in medication administration, further reducing the possibility of error. It automatically records when a medication dose is given and by which staff member. Reports enable managers to monitor medication administrations and help identify opportunities for process improvement.
"With MedPoint, we can facilitate communication between nursing, pharmacy and the lab. Our nurses will know immediately when a medication order has been changed or canceled, not at the end of their shift. They'll have the latest drug information at the patient's bedside where it will do the most good," said Gordon.
Founded in 1996, Bridge Medical is headquartered in Solana Beach, Calif. Bridge has been honored for its educational initiatives and patient safety solutions, including its MedPoint patient safety software system (www.bridgmedical.com).
Children's Hospital is a 201-bed, not-for-profit medical center offering the most advanced pediatric care for children from birth to 21 years. With over 40 specialties and nearly 400 physicians, it is the only full-service hospital exclusively for children in Louisiana and the Gulf South.
For more information or to set up an interview, call 504-896-9373.