Recently, the Canadian Institute for Health Information released a report that presented some shocking statistics in terms of high mortality rates at Ontario hospitals, including a number of hospitals in the GTA.
While health-care professionals do their best to deliver quality health care, adverse medical events do happen; hospitals need to provide their staff with the tools to ensure this risk is minimized.
Hospitals should begin to seriously consider modern technologies and established supply chain standards that improve patient safety.
GS1 Canada, a not-for-profit organization that promotes and maintains global standards for the identification of goods, locations and related e-commerce communication, has formed a strategic alliance with CareNET Services Inc., an association of Canadian health-care providers and suppliers that promotes, facilitates and supports the use of electronic commerce.
This alliance means that more than 430 hospitals are interested in creating modern and sustainable patient safety system. This can include moving toward verification through bedside scanning (with consent) to prevent any medical error before a procedure occurs.
In addition, the adoption of automatic product identification through technologies, such as bar coding or electronic product code/radio frequency identification, is included. Automating processes, such as those at the point of administering medication, has been shown to reduce the risk of manual errors.
Health-care institutions are introducing electronic dispensing systems and automatic identification and data capture often at the bedside to ensure the right patient receives the right treatment at the right dose. Modern tools such as these will help ensure that Ontario patients receive the safest care possible.
Alicia Duval, vice-president, Healthcare Sector GS1 Canada