DÜSSELDORF, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--(MEDICA 2012)-– Stanley Healthcare Solutions today announced that Charité hospital in Berlin is using the AeroScout® Asset Tracking & Management solution to improve operating room efficiency. The Wi-Fi Real-Time Location System (RTLS) leverages Charité’s Cisco Unified Wireless Network, which delivers secure access to mobility services and applications, and is used by hospital staff to quickly locate critical medical equipment in the Campus Virchow-Klinikum. The solution helps Charité and its majority-owned subsidiary, Charité Facility Management GmbH (CFM), streamline the central sterilization process by reducing the time it takes to find equipment in need of sterilization, and reduce operating room delays by helping ensure that the right equipment is available when and where it is needed.
“On average, it costs 15 to 20 Euros for every minute a surgery is delayed in the O.R., so it is vital for any hospital to continually seek out and eliminate inefficiencies,” said Ingrid Maßwig, Executive Director at CFM, which provides all non-medical services for Charité. “With the Stanley Healthcare and Cisco solution, we’ve taken an important step toward further increasing O.R. efficiency, reducing costs and supporting patient safety.”
Charité is one of the largest university hospitals in Europe and has an international reputation for excellence in training. In fact, more than half of the German Nobel Prize winners in medicine and physiology come from Charité. The university hospital extends over four campuses with more than 100 clinics and institutes combined under 17 Charité Centers. Since 2006 CFM has provided all non-medical services for Charité. This integrated facility management approach includes disciplines such as the central sterile supply department, clinical engineering and hospital cleaning services.
Coordinating sterilization of surgical equipment across multiple operating rooms is a complex and time-consuming process. Each surgical procedure requires specialized equipment that is used across many operating rooms. After use, each item needs to be cleaned, sterilized and prepared for the next use. There are multiple steps in the process, which can take up to six hours to complete, and any holdup in the process can cause delays in the O.R.
The AeroScout Asset Tracking & Management solution by Stanley Healthcare consists of Autoclave Tags for tracking surgical equipment through their lifecycle – from sterilization to the operating room – and AeroScout MobileView software, which provides a map view of the hospital and the real-time location of every item being tracked. The system works with Charité’s Wi-Fi network, which the hospital also uses for voice, data and location services.
The AeroScout Autoclave Tag attaches to and tracks surgical instrument trays and other equipment as they progress through the numerous stages of preparation for surgical procedures, and then through the perioperative process. The Autoclave Tag was designed for cleaning and sterilization, which involves steam, high temperatures, high pressures and vacuums.
Charité plans to extend the Stanley Healthcare and Cisco implementation to include a Patient Flow application to track the location of patients throughout their hospital visits in order to help enhance patient care and improve department workflow.
“Charité is a world renowned university hospital that has contributed significantly to the advancement of modern healthcare,” said Eric Devineau, Vice President of European Sales at Stanley Healthcare Solutions. “It is also a model of efficiency for other hospitals throughout the region, which is why we’re especially proud to be working with Charité to further streamline its O.R. and sterilization processes.”
To learn more about Stanley Healthcare Solutions, visit Stand B08 in Hall 13 at MEDICA 2012 in Düsseldorf, Germany, November 14 – 17, 2012.
Stanley Healthcare Solutions
Stanley Healthcare Solutions provides over 5,000 acute care hospitals and 12,000 long-term care organizations with enterprise solutions that transform safety, security and operational efficiency. The Stanley Healthcare Solutions EcoSystem enables customers to achieve organizational excellence and superior care in five critical areas: Patient Safety, Security & Protection, Environmental Monitoring, Clinical Operations & Workflow, and Supply Chain & Asset Management. These integrated solutions are complemented by Healthcare Consulting Services for healthcare information system implementation and Transformational Lean™ process reengineering. Stanley Healthcare Solutions is proud to be part of Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. For more information visit www.StanleyHealthcare.com.
AeroScout is a registered trademark of Stanley Healthcare Solutions. Information is subject to change without notice.