Published on 08-Nov-2007
Validated on 12 Mar 2013
"The use of wireless communication has become part of the standard practice in the emergency department, and is effective for getting the right personnel to the patient’s bedside in a timely fashion." - Dr. Paul Gee, emergency specialist, Canterbury District Health Board
Customer:
Canterbury District Health Board
Industry:
Government
Deployment country:
New Zealand
Solution:
Business-to-Consumer, Business Performance Transformation, C-Suite Framework, Enabling Business Flexibility, Innovation that matters, Transforming Business
IBM Business Partner:
Vocera Communications
Overview
Run by the Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB), Christchurch Hospital is the largest tertiary, teaching and research hospital on New Zealand’s South Island, and it provides a full range of emergency, acute, elective and outpatient services.
Business need:
CDHB has the busiest emergency department in Australasia, treating more than 65,000 patients a year. To handle such a large volume while providing the best care possible, the hospital needs to be able to quickly and easily locate staff members and communicate important information between departments.
Solution:
CDHB’s emergency department and IBM implemented a solution from IBM Business Partner Vocera Communications that enables hospital personnel to communicate instantly with any other staff member or to call fixed telephone extensions within the hospital.
Benefits:
• Decreased the amount of time needed to locate staff members from an average of four minutes to less than one minute
• Realized a complete return on investment (ROI) within nine months
• A 7% increase in staff efficiency has helped improve patient care
Case Study
Canterbury District Health Board improves patient care with a wireless communication system.
Overview
Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB)
Christchurch, New Zealand
www.cdhb.govt.nz/chc
Industry
• Government
Services
• IBM Global Technology Services
IBM Business Partner
• Vocera Communications
Run by the Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB), Christchurch Hospital is the largest tertiary, teaching and research hospital on New Zealand’s South Island, and it provides a full range of emergency, acute, elective and outpatient services. The hospital, which operates between 600 and 650 beds, provides services to more than 35,600 inpatients each year. In addition, Christchurch Hospital has the busiest emergency department in Australia treating more than 65,000 patients per year.
Challenge
CDHB has the busiest emergency department in Australasia, treating more than 65,000 patients a year. To handle such a large volume while providing the best care possible, the hospital needs to be able to quickly and easily locate staff members and communicate important information between departments. However, using an in-hospital paging system, staff would sometimes take up to thirty minutes to locate the personnel needed to treat a patient. The hospital needed a more efficient communication system.
Solution
CDHB’s emergency department and IBM implemented a solution from IBM Business Partner Vocera Communications that enables hospital personnel to communicate instantly with any other staff member or to call fixed telephone extensions within the hospital. By wearing small wireless communication badges, staff can issue hands-free, voice-activated commands to quickly and easily locate personnel, confirm prescriptions and communicate test results.
“The use of wireless communication has become part of the standard practice in the emergency department, and is effective for getting the right personnel to the patient’s bedside in a timely fashion.”
—Dr. Paul Gee, emergency specialist, Canterbury District Health Board
Benefits
• Decreased the amount of time needed to locate staff members from an average of four minutes to less than one minute
• Realized a complete return on investment (ROI) within nine months
• A 7% increase in staff efficiency has helped improve patient care
For more information
Please contact your IBM representative or IBM Business Partner.
Products and services used
IBM products and services that were used in this case study.
Service:
GTS ITS Integrated Communications: Converged Communications, GTS ITS Integrated Communications: Mobility & Wireless, GTS Enterprise Services
Legal Information
© Copyright IBM Corporation 2007 IBM Corporation Global Solutions, Industry Marketing 294 Route 100 Somers, NY 10589 U.S.A. Produced in the United States of America 10-07 All Rights Reserved IBM, the IBM logo and ibm.com are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both. Other company, product or service names may be trademarks or service marks of others. This case study illustrates how one IBM customer uses IBM products. There is no guarantee of comparable results. References in this publication to IBM products or services do not imply that IBM intends to make them available in all countries in which IBM operates.