Mix-ups between patient can happen when computerized tomography (CT) scans are carried out, Baden Canton Hospital (KSB) reported in a press release. For example, Mr Meyer might be treated instead of Mr Meier. “Generally, such mix-ups do not have any severe consequences for patients,” said Rahel Kubik, Head of the Imaging Centre at the KSB. It is nonetheless troublesome, not least because this wastes resources.
The KSB has now collaborated with Siemens and Avintis to create a digital wristband that will prevent such mix-ups. The case number of the patient is scanned in and conveyed to the CT scanner, which then automatically selects and displays the right patient. Images in the archive will later also be automatically allocated to the correct patient.
“This solution might sound quite simple, but developing it was actually rather complex,” the KSB reports. Different systems and applications had to be brought together, because some of the equipment has until now only been able to process either the case number or the patient number.
“There was no solution on the market that we could just buy, so our IT department had to invest great thought and energy working on this with our partners,” explains Project Manager Nadine Vögeli. Interest from experts in the field is consequently also very high. According to the KSB, this wristband is unique in the German-speaking region.
