HEALTHCARE HYGIENE
put thousands of people, patients as well as staff, at risk. Digital checklist technology, combined with automated temperature monitoring, can help strengthen hygiene and compliance with the requirements of the Food Standards Agency and other HACCP guidelines.
One key area where checklist technology and digital monitoring can help improve compliance with hygiene standards is looking after patient samples and medicines in healthcare facilities including laboratories and patient wards. If patient medication is not stored correctly, or if it is damaged during storage due to too high or low temperatures, it can pose a serious risk to patients. Automated monitoring of storage facilities can help increase safety, as automatic alerts can be set to send notifications if the temperature is outside the set parameters. The wireless sensors can also monitor door opening and closing.
In addition to medicines, the correct storage of vital patient samples and, for example, blood stock is essential for enabling accurate diagnostics and high quality of care. Losing temperature-critical samples and stock can be costly, delay patient treatment and cause irreversible damage to the reputation of the healthcare provider.
Automation and digital work management technology can significantly improve the robustness of the process and help ensure compliance to high hygiene standards. Many healthcare providers are already benefiting from the technology: Checkit automated monitoring technology helped Integrated Pathology Partnerships (iPP) laboratories free up much needed staff time, enabling time to be spent on more critical pathology actions and resulting in increased efficiency.
The comprehensive temperature data received through the wireless sensors enables iPP to report accurately upon the electronic traceability of the cold chain for samples, reagents and blood component stocks, enabling proven compliance with regulations set by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). The technology has also supported iPP’s
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application to the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) for Medical Laboratory accreditation (ISO 15189), a new standard to which all medical laboratories must now adhere.
Matthew Barnett, Essential Laboratory Manager at iPP, said: “Using automated monitoring saves staff time daily whilst providing real-time high quality information – a compliant solution that meets with laboratory standards and also aids staff and process efficiency. It provides comprehensive data for compliance purposes and allows us to respond in real-time if and when situations arise.”
However, it is not enough to look after the hygiene and cleanliness of the most critical facilities, such as laboratories: other parts of a healthcare facility, such as waiting areas and patient toilets, need to be continuously monitored to ensure potential hygiene and health and safety breaches are identified and corrective action taken before staff, patients and visitors using the facility are put at risk. Digital checklists are an effective way for helping facilities managers stay on top of the status of multiple sites and manage the cleaners, electricians, plumbers and other maintenance workers operating on the premises. Overall, as the digital checklists help reduce time spent on routine checks, the staff can spend their time more productively on other tasks such as preventative maintenance. The analytics tools and the data gathered through the recorded regular checks also help identify potential problem hotspots and areas that could benefit from more regular monitoring.
In addition to helping improve facility hygiene, digitalisation can help relieve the time-pressures that healthcare staff work under. The digital checklist technology, supported by automated temperature monitoring and wireless sensor technology, frees up staff time, enabling more tasks to be completed, which can result in better service and reduced costs. As the digital checklists prompt staff when tasks are due and provide easy-to-follow instructions, more junior members can complete the routine checks required. For added security, the remote monitoring capacity helps ensure that management can keep an eye on the facility in real time.
At a time when the NHS is often in the news for lack of resources and staff, it is clear to see how digital processes, in the form of checklists and wireless monitoring, could help ease the burden. Technology such as Checkit, can provide healthcare managers in charge of catering, facilities and laboratories take better control of the essential tasks and processes involved in managing hygiene, food safety and facilities compliance. What’s more, by going digital with record keeping, the businesses can be audit-ready at all times, and provide proof, when required, that the facility meets the highest standards for hygiene and health and safety. In a field where patient safety is a number one priority, there is no room for guesswork when it comes to compliance: digital work management is an easy way to strengthen the hygiene culture and reduce the stress of ensuring consistent compliance.
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