Background

A total of more than 16,000 surgical operations are carried out each year at the Päijät-Häme central hospital inFinland, in addition to nearly 3,000 external procedures requiring anaesthesia. Nearly all operations in Päijät-Häme hospital are carried out within the same walls. There are 26 operating rooms, 14 of which are in the central operating unit, nine in daytime surgery and three in the eye clinic. The central operating unit has about 90 staff members, and daytime surgery about 40.

Challenges

Control of modern surgical operations is not possible without efficient digital tools. The capacity of the operating room must be appropriately planned, and procedures must be organised in the correct order to avoid idle times and, on the other hand, to prevent operations from stretching into on-call duty hours.

Solution

The Effica Surgery Care solution was adopted at the Päijät-Häme central hospital in August 2008. The solution is a part of the Patient Administrative System delivered to central hospitals by Tieto.

Benefits

Effica Surgery Care has a seamless connection to Electronic Healthcare Record. When accessing a patient record, the operation software also opens, and vice versa. According to Risto Kuosa, Head of the Department of Anaesthesia in Päijät-Häme central hospital, easy access to the patient record, laboratory summary and radiological information are what make the system appealing to anaesthetist.

The information system also indirectly improves the success of the treatment guarantee. “The software allows us to optimise our work based on, for example, the duration of the operations, the operating surgeons and types of procedures. When planning is done sensibly, we will be able to operate more,” Kuosa says.

In addition to good process control, quality control is also important. “Entering information in one central system increases patient security and the quality of treatment. Human errors are reduced,” Kuosa believes.

Kuosa is happy with the graphical elements of the new system, which help users to get a quick overall picture of the information. “The abbreviations of the operating room display reveal information such as who the patient is, what sort of procedure is in progress, or which phase of the surgery is currently being performed,” Kuosa says.

The reporting functions offer new hospital management tools for planning operations. “We continuously measure the efficiency of our operations, including the degree to which operating rooms are utilised, delays, and certain quality factors,” Kuosa says.

For further information, please contact: Aila Töyrylä, tel. +358 (0)400 716 038, e-mail: firstname.lastname@tieto.com, info.healthcare@tieto.com

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