Letterkenny General Hospital recommends Kelsius wireless solution
User Challenge
"We have increased our confidence in product quality and patient safety. Moreover, the system has already paid for itself several times over by helping us avoid significant product loss. We recovered our costs within a year saving in excess of €40,000."
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Wireless, automated solution for hospital pharmaciesThe Kelsius solution is a fully automated, paperless system used to monitor the temperature of controlled storage environments such as pharmacy and ward fridges. Small wireless sensors are placed within fridges to continuously monitor and record air and product temperatures. The data is sent to the Kelsius website where it is presented as user-friendly and flexible reports. These can be easily and securely accessed anytime, anywhere, via an internet-enabled PC or laptop. Reports can also be faxed or emailed as required. If a measured temperature deviates outside set limits an alert is triggered which can be transmitted as a text message, email or via local visual and audible alarms. All historical temperature data and corrective actions are archived providing the user with a complete audit trail. Kelsius also provide portable temperature loggers which can be used for monitoring temperature-sensitive products during transit, thereby providing full traceability of the distribution chain. These loggers can also be used with reporting software for in-house temperature mapping of areas such as walk-in cold rooms. |
BENEFITS
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System keeps pharmacy on alertLetterkenny General Hospital is a 300-bed acute hospital serving the inhabitants of County Donegal in the Republic of Ireland. The facility offers a comprehensive range of services to a population of approximately 140,00 people. The challenge for the Chief Pharmacist, Tom Ferrie, was to replace their manual method of recording temperatures with a more reliable and efficient system that would ultimately improve the quality control of medecines stored throughout the hospital. Tom said, "we had been looking for a system that would continuously monitor the temperature of drug fridges spread throughout the hospital and one that would alert designated personnel if a temperature should deviate from set limits. After researching various products on the market we opted for Kelsius as we felt their system was the furthest along in development and offered the broadest applicability." The hospital now enjoys the reliability that Kelsius offers by monitoring temperatures across 39 ward fridges. If a temperature goes out of range the hospital switchboard receives an automatic notification, and in turn notifies the relevant ward or department. The following morning, the Pharmacy receives a full report of the alert by email. The system is also used in the hospital canteen where it ensures full compliance with statutory food safety requirements. |
Tom Ferries feels that Kelsius has raised the bar in terms of compliance with industry best-practice; he concluded, "We have increased our confidence in product quality and patient safety. Moreover, the system has already paid for itself by helping us avoid significant product loss. We recovered our costs within a year saving in excess of €40,000" Kelsius Product Specialist, Philip Berry, who is a qualified pharmacist said, "In-line with the Code of Ethics for Pharmacists, medicines should not be supplied if there is any doubt regarding their integrity and quality. In our opinion, the only way pharmacists can be satisfied that medicines have been stored within the correct range is through continuous monitoring / alarming. This is impossible to achieve using traditional minimum / maximum thermometers or stand alone data loggers. In addition, drug fridges are often found across various locations within a hospital so the scalability of our wireless system makes it an ideal and cost-effective solution. We are delighted that Letterkenny General Hospital have deployed our solution throughout their facility and believe it will continue to protect patient safety which is the ultimate goal for all healthcare professionals". |
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