We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress
Sign In
Advertise with Us

Download Mobile App




Tabbed Barcodes and Management System Software Designed to Help Apron Tracking to Improve Radiology Inventory Management

By HospiMedica International staff writers
Posted on 23 Oct 2014
Print article
A web-based inventory management system has been designed to link each radiology apron with a distinct barcode ID. As a cloud-based, decision support system, staff can track, audit, and maintain aprons using data sorted by department, area, and garment type.

Healthcare personnel can see details on individual inspections records, and the system notifies when an apron is due for inspection. Staff can see who has assets and who needs them. Moreover, the system supports budget forecasting.

Radiology is essential to diagnosing and treating disease, but radiation remains a potential hazard. Hence, hospital patients and staff wear personal protective equipment (PPE)—lead aprons and collars—to prevent absorbing more radiation than is necessary.

These PPE products, as any other equipment, wear out over time. Hospitals inspect them annually for integrity, per guidelines set by the Joint Commission—a not-for-profit organization accrediting and certifying healthcare organizations in the United States.

A health system based in the US state of Michigan was numbering their lead aprons by hand and keeping inspection records in binders and spreadsheets across each hospital. “It was cumbersome,” said Muhammad Bhalli, their radiology business manager. “We struggled to find the right apron, let alone reference it in our records or report to the Joint Commission. We wanted to be able to identify them visually and run reports.”

Mr. Bhalli, who had a background in information technology, built the web-based inventory management system. The data entry process during inspection is simple: hospital staff scans each apron’s barcode to update the yearly inspection record and attaches an annual sticker on the apron’s barcode tag. “This software provides a very simple way to organize and track your aprons,” said Mr. Bhalli. “It’s easy to enter data that automatically organizes itself. We haven’t had to do user training because it is such a simple process.”

Aprons, however, are not easy to label. “We tried using a sticker,” said Mr. Bhalli. “It was a miserable failure. Nothing sticks to that fabric surface.” He worked with Metalcraft to design a barcode tag--a long, thin hang tag with holes at each end that attaches via grommet to an apron tab. Furthermore, there is a colored tab for each year of inspection, similar to a license plate. “Metalcaft was very helpful with the process,” said Mr. Bhalli. “Now, we can document our 800 aprons very quickly, and barcodes have eliminated all the errors.”

The result is an efficient maintenance and regulatory compliance. This solution reduces inspection and maintenance time, supporting their cost control and excellent patient care. It is a thorough way to minimize errors, protect staff and patients, and pass inspections rapidly. Furthermore, it is rolling out across its hospital system now.

The company responsible for the technology, called MetalTrack (Mason City, IA; USA), is also marketing the solution as ApronTrack.co—providing other organizations with an effective, secure tracking solution for radiation PPE.

Related Links:

MetalTrack


Gold Member
12-Channel ECG
CM1200B
Gold Member
POC Blood Gas Analyzer
Stat Profile Prime Plus
Silver Member
Compact 14-Day Uninterrupted Holter ECG
NR-314P
New
Wireless Handheld Ultrasound System
TE Air

Print article

Channels

Critical Care

view channel
Image: The permeable wearable electronics developed for long-term biosignal monitoring (Photo courtesy of CityUHK)

Super Permeable Wearable Electronics Enable Long-Term Biosignal Monitoring

Wearable electronics have become integral to enhancing health and fitness by offering continuous tracking of physiological signals over extended periods. This monitoring is crucial for understanding an... Read more

Surgical Techniques

view channel
Image: NTT and Olympus have begun the world\'s first joint demonstration experiment of a cloud endoscopy system (Photo courtesy of Olympus)

Cloud Endoscopy System Enables Real-Time Image Processing on the Cloud

Endoscopes, which are flexible tubes inserted into the body's natural openings for internal examination and biopsy collection, are becoming increasingly vital in medical diagnostics. Their minimal invasiveness... Read more

Patient Care

view channel
Image: The newly-launched solution can transform operating room scheduling and boost utilization rates (Photo courtesy of Fujitsu)

Surgical Capacity Optimization Solution Helps Hospitals Boost OR Utilization

An innovative solution has the capability to transform surgical capacity utilization by targeting the root cause of surgical block time inefficiencies. Fujitsu Limited’s (Tokyo, Japan) Surgical Capacity... Read more

Health IT

view channel
Image: First ever institution-specific model provides significant performance advantage over current population-derived models (Photo courtesy of Mount Sinai)

Machine Learning Model Improves Mortality Risk Prediction for Cardiac Surgery Patients

Machine learning algorithms have been deployed to create predictive models in various medical fields, with some demonstrating improved outcomes compared to their standard-of-care counterparts.... Read more

Point of Care

view channel
Image: The PATHFAST hs-cTnI-II high-sensitivity troponin assay has been developed for the PATHFAST Biomarker Analyzer (Photo courtesy of Polymedco)

POC Myocardial Infarction Test Delivers Results in 17 Minutes

Chest pain is the second leading cause of emergency department (ED) visits by adults in the United States, generating over 7 million visits annually. In the event of a suspected heart attack, physicians... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2024 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.