BRUGES, BELGIUM - (HealthTech Wire / News) - Since implementing Datix software in 2010, AZ Sint-Lucas hospital, Bruges, has noticed a dramatic rise in incidents reported. It has also gained an increased ability to analyse trends and numerical proof of the existence of incidents - meaning staff now have the evidence to help managers effect change to improve patient safety.
- Belgium's AZ Sint-Lucas has taken on a Datix patient safety solution to help stem incidents and accidents at the hospital
- AZ Sint-Lucas has become the first hospital in mainland Europe to implement Datix incident reporting and complaints handling software to improve patient safety
- 'Datix means that complaints are recorded centrally and doctors, service or department heads can investigate incidents in a unified fashion so avoiding possible errors'
In the first year following implementation, the number of incidents reported at the hospital – the first in mainland Europe to implement Datix incident reporting and complaints handling software – tripled from 100 to 300. It doubled again in the following eight months, with further improvements expected as staff are trained on the new system and user confidence grows.
The journey towards total Quality Management
Up until 2007, AZ Sint-Lucas relied on staff remembering to report incidents either by telephone or in the form of hand-written notes. At the time, only 30 incidents were actually reported every year. The hospital then used an in-house developed electronic system to report and record incidents more effectively. After two years, the number of incidents being reported had risen to around 100 per year. Despite the three-fold increase, however, Medical Director, Dr de Coninck and his team were still not convinced that all incidents were being captured efficiently and decided to search for a new, automated patient safety solution.
“The healthcare market in Belgium is relatively small therefore we have a limited number of computer programs designed for hospitals in the area of adverse event management,” said Dr de Coninck. “This means that Flemish hospitals tend to look towards the UK or USA for technology solutions. Datix operates in many countries and its software is used by the US military healthcare programme, by health care organisations in both Canada and Australia and by over 70% of the National Health Service in the UK. Its proven track record and expertise in patient safety gave us the confidence we need moving forward.”
One central system, one set of processes
Datix was implemented in early November 2010. By February 2011, all incidents and complaints were held electronically in the Datix system and available to medical staff. “Datix means that complaints are recorded centrally and doctors, service or department heads can investigate incidents in a unified fashion so avoiding possible errors,” said Niko Dierickx, Hospital Director at AZ Sint-Lucas. “Over time, this will also help us guard against potential litigation.”
“Datix has quickly become a powerful tool to highlight potential risks, enabling us to take a more proactive approach to improving patient safety,” concluded Dr de Coninck. “Working with the Datix team in the UK has been a very positive experience for us and we look forward to building this close collaboration in the future.”
Next on the horizon is the widespread deployment of the Datix complaints module. Over time, Dr de Coninck hopes to expand the current system to maximise the full capabilities of the Datix portfolio and make it an integral part of the hospital’s quality and safety policy.
AZ Sint-Lucas and Datix are also working on the translation of the software to enable the introduction of safety risk management software into other hospitals in Belgium.
Fast Facts
- Datix technology introduces consistent ways of working for 1200 managers and staff and 100 doctors
- One central system, unified processes
- Reporting has improved dramatically, rising from 100 to 600+ incidents per year
- Datix is a strategic business tool - senior management now have a clear view of risks and take proactive action to ensure high quality patient care Datix forms an integral part of the hospital’s Quality and Safety policy
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Source: Datix
