New Medical Technology Improves Patient Safety
One way to assure that DeKalb Medical employees and physicians have the latest tools to provide high quality care and patient safety is to invest in new medical technology to support their efforts.
DeKalb Medical made a commitment to medical technology in 2000 to design and implement a computerized clinical integration system that reduces the risk of many undesirable quality and patient safety events that can occur in healthcare settings, subsequently improving patient outcomes. This commitment puts DeKalb Medical in the top 10% of all hospitals for use of a clinical integration system. Use of new medical technology has enabled DeKalb Medical to develop a system that includes computerized physician orders, maintenance of digital records that can be easily accessed and a process that improves communication between providers. Specific ways that this new technology improves patient safety include:
*Computerized physician orders eliminate the risk of illegible handwriting or unclear orders that might result in errors in treatment;
*Computerized order entry enables the physician to verify medications and dosages to avoid duplicate orders,
*Records from previous visits are easily accessed so the patient doesn’t have to repeat information such as address, allergies, or medications, and the admission process is faster; and
*Communication between physicians and other healthcare providers is more efficient because all providers have access to the electronic medical record at the same time and from remote areas.
In addition to improving care and safety, DeKalb Medical’s clinical information system improves efficiency of services provided to patients by making all X-rays, scans, and records from previous tests or procedures available to physicians or staff members. This ensures that healthcare providers have all the information necessary to provide high quality care. |