(P-IT-3) Does Centralized Data Management Software Improve Patient Care?

As testing volumes continue to trend upward so does the potential for clerical errors.  This is especially true with less staff and less expertise in transfusion medicine.  With the opening of new hospitals or mergers of several facilities, supervisors are often pulled in multiple directions assisting these facilities, while often incorporating less qualified techs.  Focusing on ways to address patient cares over multiple locations lends itself to consider new ideas and implement better processes.  As a result, our study is focused on the justification, by process improvements, for a centralized data management software (DMS) between two locations and if this software demonstrated a potential for improved patient care.

Study

Design/Methods:

Processes were evaluated prior and after implementing a DMS, ImmuLINK (Werfen, Norcross, GA) regarding patient testing, traceability, review, and release of patient results, plus how to handle challenging patients between two sites.

 

Results/Findings:

We found 5 DMS process improvements for better patient care. Remote access to review, and release of results elsewhere in the lab or at home (1).  The ability to assist generalist at the smaller hospital site remotely with challenging patients without the need to send the sample to the main facility (2). Traceability of digitally downloaded patient’s antibody identification results directly onto the correct antibody panel master list (3), Traceability for supervisors and Medical Director to review antibody workups (AW) with an electronic review and signature (4).  Ability to electronically store all AW digitally on our server (5).

Conclusions:

Data Management Software does have a positive impact on patient care by allowing remote access to assist other facilities without the need to send the sample, which improved turnaround time.  Accessibility from home to help those technologists with less expertise is an advantage. If there are delays such as weather or traffic, being able to remotely order, review or release results can have a significant impact on patient care. The ability to electronically store antibody workup’s indefinitely is helpful, especially if it includes the reviewer.   It saves time not having to pull archived disk or the retrieval of a patient’s previous AW from a storage location.  DMS  can reduce transcription errors with digital downloaded panel results on master list plus improve TAT. It did require a DMS validation but both facilities believe it was well worth the time and effort.  We hope to implement antibody software rule out algorithm in the future.