These aren’t the first things most people think of when they imagine the hospital or doctor’s office. And they’re easily overlooked in the chaos of an emergency room intake or in the middle of a critical care procedures checklist.
But for patients and families, these items may mean everything. Losing them could be traumatic. For hospital’s and healthcare facilities, this is a quick way to lose out on delivering a great patient experience.
Unfortunately, it’s gotten more difficult for medical providers to manage, track, and safeguard patient belongings. Across the country, COVID-19-related spikes in patient volume and hospitalizations; restrictions on family members being able to accompany and visit patients; and the need for longer-term critical care have changed the healthcare environment. It’s hard for facilities and staff to manage life-and-death situations, much less effectively handle seemingly lower priority tasks like caring for patients’ stuff. Until the coronavirus is under control, we may not have the time or resources to comprehend the cumulative impact of these challenges on patients—and staff.
The patient experience is affected by many things—from a doctor’s bedside manner to the quality of the environment to the time spent in a waiting room. While Barcoding can’t control these things, we can improve the experience—for patients and busy staff alike—by creating a tool to help medical providers protect patient belongings.
IntelliTrack Patient Belongings Tracking is a user-friendly system that can adapt to the current workflow of hospitals, centers, and offices, allowing them to track patient property from intake to discharge, improve patient satisfaction, and make it easier for overburdened workers to focus on more urgent clinical matters.
The system clearly and simply helps staff collect patient property, correlating the patient ID to one or more property barcodes affixed to property bags or to the item itself. Property is then stored, scanning a barcode to record the exact location. When it’s time to return the property, staff can ensure it makes it back to the right patient efficiently and with little hassle. The system manages all aspects of the tracking process, including date of entry, photos of the items, notes, exceptions, and patient sign-offs.
“Healthcare workers are constantly being asked to do more with less. Patient Belongings Tracking automates the property collection process to improve the patient experience, help front line workers be more efficient, and reduce lost property claims,” says Shane Snyder, president, Barcoding, Inc.
Benefits to providers include:
The IntelliTrack Patient Belongings Tracking application is available starting today on iOS and Android, making it accessible to workers who need it most, especially those using disinfectant-ready devices. This could largely replace the need for a shared paper and pen, moving the task to a reliable resource that can be wiped down throughout the day. It’s a critical change in our COVID-19 era—and a welcome feature as we imagine a post-coronavirus future.