Dudley Improves Renal Patient Management Via Long-term MES Partnership

Main Category: IT / Internet / E-mail
Also Included In: Urology / Nephrology
Article Date: 30 Jul 2010 - 4:00 PDT

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Russells Hall Hospital, part of The Dudley Group of Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, is benefiting from greater efficiency in renal patient management with the installation of new specialist software. The eMEDRenal application from Mediqal H.I. was installed as part of Dudley's 15-year IT services Managed Equipment Service (MES) agreement with Siemens Healthcare. Siemens Healthcare and Mediqal H.I. worked in partnership to ensure the smooth implementation of the software, which is a clinical patient database for renal specialities. eMEDRenal manages patient information from first referral through to dialysis, treatment and transplants. The software contains all demographics data, clinical notes, medications, radiology information and dialysis treatment. As part of a streamlined service, it can also schedule clinic and referral appointments.

The software can be accessed from a number of sites across the Trust, including the renal unit and outpatient clinics. This has improved clinical functionality, giving medical staff direct access to a full clinical review of each patient. Additionally, eMEDRenal is fully compliant with the National Renal Dataset, ensuring that The Dudley Group of Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust meets the new standards for renal reporting. Ease-of-use and improved uptake are also helping to create efficiencies.

"Our partnership with Dudley ensures that the Trust has access to the latest medical equipment and solutions now and in the future," said Garry Marshall, IT Services Manager at Siemens Healthcare. "Working with Mediqal to implement a new renal management solution means that staff are not only using the latest technology to improve patient care, but they can feel confident that all patient data is stored securely within it. Vendor independence also gives flexibility to the Trust so that it is using the most effective technology as its needs evolve."

"We have improved our patient care by using eMEDRenal, allowing physicians to change therapy or dialysis prescriptions and assisting with communication between people working on different sites or departments," said Dr. Shiva Kumar, Consultant Physician and Nephrologist at Russells Hall Hospital. "All nursing documentation is now online, improving our ability to audit quality and we plan to roll out the Medical and Secretarial module shortly to provide better communication to our primary care colleagues. This has resulted in an integrated and organised approach to patient care and we are delighted that the collaboration between the Trust, Mediqal and Siemens has enabled us to achieve our end goal."

"The installation of this software at Russells Hall Hospital was a real partnership approach between Siemens, Mediqal and the Trust," said Eddie Roper, Sales Manager at Mediqal H.I. "The success of the collaboration meant that we completed the implementation in 16 weeks, an impressive achievement. The Siemens MES relationship is dedicated to matching the Trust's needs with medical equipment and solutions. Our role now means that the Trust is benefiting from a more efficient and cohesive renal management service."

In 2001 The Dudley Group of Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust signed contracts with Summit Healthcare to design, build, finance and run new facilities in the Dudley area of the West Midlands. Siemens has a 40-year vendor independent contract with Summit for the maintenance of all medical equipment and the supply and ongoing replacement of all imaging equipment. Under an additional 15-year contract, Siemens is providing IT services, including an electronic patient record system and a new network infrastructure.

Source:
Siemens Healthcare

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