Advances in technology aside, human errors still occur at hospitals – public and private – around the world. It can come in the form of wrong patient identification, errors in patient data, misdiagnosis, under and over-treatment, and delayed diagnosis.
In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) receives more than 100,000 reports every year that are related to medication errors.
“As a responsible healthcare provider, we want to see immaculate healthcare outcomes by eliminating any chance of wrong patient identification as errors like this hamper patient safety and generate detrimental healthcare outcomes,” said Surapong Saenpoch, deputy director of technology and information at the Udon Thani Hospital.
“If a patient is misidentified, they may be given wrong treatment plans or incorrect medications which hinder their recovery. In severe cases, the effects can be irreversible and may even result in the loss of lives. This is something we want to avoid because the safety of our patients is our utmost priority.”
Modernising patient registration
Udon Thani recently digitised its patient registration process. The hospital chose to deploy Zebra’s desktop printing and scanning solution to digitalize its patient registration process which was previously conducted manually.
Udon Thani Hospital worked closely with Zebra reseller, Pacific Plus IT, to implement and deploy the solution.
The customised solution includes pairing up the ZD421 4-inch desktop printer and DS2208 handheld imager with the Zebra 123Scan application to create a data-powered patient journey that begins with printing scannable wristbands which assist patients from their admission to discharge and with every procedure in between. The scanning process helps to accurately identify medications, match records, and update systems with fewer errors and corrections needed.
Christanto Suryadarma, Southeast Asia (SEA) sales vice president for Zebra Technologies Asia Pacific says hospitals are increasingly looking to technology to help them achieve better patient care.
“Many are replacing manual, error-prone procedures with digital solutions that enhance accuracy, speed, and overall visibility. We will continue to work together with our partners to improve the quality of patient care and build smart, connected hospitals that will form the future of healthcare,” he added.
