MANCHESTER, Conn. — The Ambulatory Services Unit at Manchester Memorial Hospital and One-Day Surgery at Rockville General Hospital have installed electronic patient tracking monitors in their waiting rooms. The system improves the experience for families waiting to see loved ones following surgery. The system allows the family to know in real-time where the patient is throughout the surgery process.
The patient tracking system works on data documented by the Perioperative staff in the Horizon Surgical Manager electronic medical record as the patient moves through the surgery process. The large 44-inch flat screens are connected to a laptop that constantly refreshes the information on the screen. Patients’ family members and friends can visualize by color and symbols where the patient is. The screen works by a private code assigned to each patient. The family receives an information card with this code when the patient arrives for surgery.
“We already have received positive feedback from patients’ families and friends,” says Linda Lemire, MS, RN, NEA-BC, assistant vice president of Perioperative Services at Eastern Connecticut Health Network. “It provides them a level of comfort during a very stressful time. This system does not in any way replace the face-to-face updates from the surgical staff, which is extremely important to those waiting for news about their loved ones.”
The patient tracking system was made possible through a grant from the Rockville Bank Foundation and individual donations made through the health system’s annual employee campaign.
