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Infection control auditing using handheld PDA’s
Infection control is at the forefront of the NHS’s fight against the spread of infections and superbugs such as MRSA.
Typically, the NHS has carried out monitoring by paper-based audits which have proven time consuming, difficult to analyse and full of inaccuracies. As such there has been a swing in favour of technology. Using PDAs, not spreadsheets on computers, is not only more agile, but saves more time, improves accuracy and ultimately makes the burden of auditing and monitoring an easier process.
By using latest technology, trust managers and inspection teams alike can collate then interrogate meaningful data. Standard and bespoke management reports then provide real time monitoring of infection control standards which in turn allows for swifter corrective action. Ability to comply with the key objectives for infection control of the NHS National Standards of Cleanliness is mandatory and this is a large part of ticking the box.
Health Facilities Scotland, a division of National Services Scotland who provides national guidance to NHS Scotland healthcare bodies, has recently accredited Innovise for providing compliant software to manage cleanliness in the NHS.
In a press release, Innovise announced a number of incentives for Scottish trusts to take up their offering. Their head of Sales and Marketing, Graeme Hughes noted “We are keen to see everyone supported through our software. Though somewhat utopian, if all trusts came to Innovise, not only could we could supply national reporting and league tables controlled from the centre of Scottish Healthcare, we could make best use of the web and lift the burden on stretched ICT resources generally.“
The Department of Health has noted that it supports any that system that enables trusts to meet the Cleaning Standard 2004 and all subsequent changes such as the 49 Elements. Being able to monitor, measure and manage the critical areas that are required to eliminate infection in our hospitals is absolutely key to infection control.
Though there are no approved suppliers by the Department of Health or the Healthcare Commission, some vendors still maintain that they are. With this in mind, it is generally a prudent initiative to ask potential suppliers to demonstrate their system, take references and perform other screening before engaging any such solution. Maybe a good starting point is those suppliers already approved to supply Health Facilities Scotland.
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