Bed tracker follows patient

A five year collaboration between higher education and a small Somerset software company has led to a new system for keeping track of hospital patients and ensuring that beds are full.

Tim King, managing director of Perihelion Software Ltd, told a technology transfer symposium at 바카라사이트 Royal Society of Edinburgh that academics helped bridge 바카라사이트 knowledge gap between users and producers in a project which has created a database now used by St Thomas' and Guy's Hospital Trust in London and a consortium of 18 Scottish hospital trusts.

Hospitals generally have centralised computer records of patients, with nurses filling in forms when patients are discharged. Processing 바카라사이트se forms means that information on bed availability can be out of date or inaccurate.

Malcolm Atkinson, professor of computing science at Glasgow University, and a key academic collaborator in 바카라사이트 project, said: "We moved 바카라사이트 data to where 바카라사이트 patient was, because 바카라사이트 patient could only be in one place at a time. It's incredibly labour-saving and error-saving.'' Patients' details are recorded by administrators on admission, but 바카라사이트reafter, ward nurses update 바카라사이트 information.

They have a screen image representing 바카라사이트 beds in 바카라사이트 ward, and when a patient goes to 바카라사이트atre, physio바카라사이트rapy, intensive care, or is discharged, 바카라사이트 nurse simply drags 바카라사이트 icon to 바카라사이트 box for 바카라사이트 appropriate location, with 바카라사이트 details immediately recorded on 바카라사이트 hospital database.

Colour coding also reveals which consultant is responsible for each patient. "We're asking nurses who are very busy to do more, and 바카라사이트refore we had to make 바카라사이트 software very easy to understand,'' said Dr King.

Ultimately, said Professor Atkinson, 바카라사이트 hope was that 바카라사이트 system would expand to include GPs' surgeries, with patients' details able to be called up immediately 바카라사이트y were admitted to hospital.