6pm l c : iFIT™ to Track Health Records at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board

April 26, 2016

Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) in Wales has selected 6PM to supply and implement its iFIT™ hospital tracking system. It will be the first instance of iFIT™ being implemented in Wales.

Through the use of the Welsh Government Efficiencies Through Technology Fund (ETTF), the iFIT™ (Intelligent File and Inventory Tracking) platform for casenotes will be piloted within the Wrexham Maelor Hospital with a view to rolling this technology across the remaining BCUHB sites. This technology will significantly improve the way the organisation files and tracks patient casenotes, underpinning the delivery of the Electronic Patient Record.

Using the iFIT™ software, the Health Records libraries will move from the time consuming practice of filing by sequential number, to filing wherever there is free space in their racking - releasing up to 80% of filing time to be utilised in other key areas of work and making casenotes more accessible for all.

RFID fixed readers installed at key entrance and exit points throughout the hospital site will enable the Health Records team to pinpoint a tagged set of casenotes as they are moved around. In addition, handheld RFID 'guns' will allow staff to find a tagged set of notes in any library or hospital location, improving the search capabilities and reducing the number of temporary records created.

With improved functionality for the printing of clinic lists, reporting and ad-hoc requesting, the Health Records Service will streamline and standardise processes within its team and across the organisation.

Beyond the scope of paper records once the RFID network is set up, BCUHB has the opportunity to utilise iFIT™ to track assets such as portable scanners and specialist beds. It can also be used to track people to; monitor skill mix on Wards, locate key staff for emergencies, and improve patient safety through knowing their location in the hospital. This will provide further cost efficiencies, improve the service provided to the patient and reduce clinical risk.

A spokeswoman for the health board said: 'To assist clinical colleagues in their delivery of care to patients, we are committed to providing the right record, to the right place, at the right time. We need to improve the management of the paper casenotes so that we can drive the change towards the Electronic Patient Record - the iFIT tracking solution is key in this transformation journey'.

Steve Wightman, Deputy CEO at 6PM said: 'It is very exciting to be rolling out iFIT to the first site in Wales. This is a very forward thinking and proactive organisation that no doubt will exploit iFIT to its full potential in due course.'