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Patient health info at the touch of an iPad [Evening Gazette (UK)](Evening Gazette (UK) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) IT'S SAID that an apple a day keeps the doctor away - but that's now the opposite at a Teesside hospital. Doctors and nurses at James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesbrough, are using Apple iPods and iPads to record vital health information about patients. It was announced in March that South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital, had secured Pounds 1m to support its plans to introduce handheld devices. A new report by trust chief executive Tricia Hart says the scheme, which is now being rolled out across the hospital, can provide major benefits. Under the programme, staff can record vital signs data at a patient's bedside using an iPod touch. The technology then automatically creates physiological observations charts and national early warning scores (NEWS) for each patient. It also allows healthcare staff to check the condition of their patients in real time from any networked computer or iPad. Each ward included in the project will be provided with a number of iPods for recording observations and iPads will also be available for use on ward rounds, with a docking station provided for charging the devices. The system is also being introduced at the trust's Friarage hospital, in Northallerton. In her report, due to be discussed at a board of directors meeting tomorrow, Ms Hart said: "The key benefits of the system is the more rapid identifi-cation of deteriorating patients which in pilot sites has led to a reduction in hospital and critical care length of stay and a reduction in mortality - all of which are a huge benefit to both patients and clinicians. "Acute adult inpatient wards in both James Cook and the Friarage are included in the project and the first ward which went live on 23 June - ward 3 at James Cook - was paperless within three days of dual recording." The rollout will be phased over the coming months. The Nursing Technology Fund was announced by Prime Minister David Cameron at the end of 2012 with the application process launched by NHS England in 2013. In the most recent round of bidding, the trust also secured Pounds 444,000 for new laptops which will support nurses working the community. (c) 2014 ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved. |