Radiometer Ltd has implemented its AQURE Enterprise point-of-care (POC) data management system at the University of Leicester Hospitals NHS Trust’s new Emergency Department. Radiometer Ltd has also supported them in configuring the interface of the Trust’s Sunquest Integrated Clinical Environment (ICE) EPR system so that blood gas test results are automatically linked to an individual’s electronic patient record (EPR). Blood gas tests are ordered via the ICE-EPR system and processed within the Emergency Department on Radiometer’s ABL90 FLEX PLUS blood gas analysers, with results being delivered to the clinician via Sunquest ICE in as little as 1 min. The almost immediate display of accurate results can have a significant effect on patient outcomes.
Having invested last year in twenty four of Radiometer’s ABL90 FLEX PLUS blood gas analysers and its AQURE Enterprise data management system for all its POC blood gas tests, the Trust subsequently asked Radiometer to interface AQURE with its Sunquest ICE prior to opening its Emergency Department (ED) pathology hot lab in April 2017. The connectivity between Radiometer’s AQURE Enterprise system and the ICE-EPR now enables doctors to have a full picture of the patient journey, right from initial admission into the ED. AQURE Enterprise has a number of features designed to improve patient safety, including unique barcode identifiers and rigorous checks between patient record and POC analysers, patient notes and samples. In addition, should the Trust’s central IT systems be down for any reason, AQURE Enterprise has fallback connectivity so that the ED can still process blood tests.
Patient safety and clinical governance are major priorities for any NHS Trust, so ensuring both the accuracy and speed of a test result, and its confirmed match to the patient is essential. The new solicited testing process implemented in Leicester’s ED is the first of its kind in the UK. In the EPR system, the booking of a blood gas test is identified, and then the test result is anticipated and linked back to the patient record through a barcode. It is delivering significant benefits for patient safety, efficiency and cost effectiveness, as Jasminder Dhillon, POC Team Manager, explained: “The AQURE Enterprise system is a lot quicker and a lot safer than what we had before. It’s all about having the right information at the right time for the right sample and the right patient.”
The new hot lab system is an integral part of Leicester Hospitals NHS Trust’s £48 million purpose-built ED. The Trust had been working with another supplier to implement solicited testing, but had concerns about how the project was progressing. Radiometer was asked to help and completed the complex integration project in just one month — a week ahead of schedule — beating the tight deadline imposed due to the opening of the new pathology hot lab. “I have worked with many suppliers and it is not often you get one quite so responsive and with experts who fit in so well with our own team,” said Linda White, Project Manager, Information Management and Technology (IM&T) Department.
Radiometer continues to work with the Trust to support further service efficiencies, which will benefit patients and clinicians from the ED and across all departments in three Leicester hospitals.
For more information, please visit www.radiometer.co.uk.
