Zebra Technologies Corporation, the market leader in rugged mobile computers, barcode scanners and barcode printers enhanced with software and services to enable real-time enterprise visibility, announced Leeds Teaching Hospitals National Health Service (NHS) Trust (LTHT) is using Zebra HC100 printers and Z-Band™ Ultrasoft wristbands as the core of its Scan4Safety program. This is a transformative effort to improve patient safety and hospital administration through better use of barcode technology, with methods derived from the aerospace and retail industries.
Scan4Safety is a barcode identification program that enables staff to track each patient through their hospital journey from admission to discharge. The resulting actionable insights enable hospitals to significantly enhance the quality of patient care, reduce unnecessary waste and improve medical stock management. By scanning wristbands at each point of care, the hospital can better ensure patients receive the right treatment, reducing errors and delays. The program has the additional aim of ensuring that all products procured by NHS Acute Trusts in England are compliant with GS1 global standards for capturing and sharing information.
- LTHT is one of the largest trusts in the UK and has one of the largest teaching hospitals in Europe. It was among the first to deploy Zebra HC100 printers, with over 17,000 staff using more than 250,000 wristbands each year across seven hospitals.
- With the Scan4Safety program, LTHT has expanded its use of Zebra’s solutions across its sites, standardising the printing of essential patient data with GS1 compliant linear and 2D Data Matrix codes, which the UK’s Department of Health has set as the standard for care in the UK by 2019.
- Beyond allowing LTHT to better track a given patient’s journey through the hospital, the wristbands also improve patient experience. Z-Band Ultrasoft bands are among the softest direct thermal wristbands on the market. Resistant to the effects of hand sanitisers, the text and barcodes are clearly printed and can be scanned for up to 14 days.
- Feedback from clinical staff has been positive. The printers are small, reliable and easy to use with fast-load cartridges that remove the complexity of media loading associated with traditional barcode printers. The wristbands are made of healthcare plastics which support LTHT’s infection control regime.
- The LTHT has similarly created links with its Accident and Emergency systems to enable wristbands to be printed for all patients including newborns, ensuring widespread benefits from the new system.
- Other Trusts including Plymouth Hospital NHS Trust, North Tees and Salisbury have either deployed or are trialling the Zebra solution. Early results from the six pilot projects show that Scan4Safety has the potential to save lives as well as save the NHS up to £1 billion over seven years.
Mark Songhurst, Information Analyst, Leeds Teaching Hospitals National Health Service (NHS) Trust, commented: “The Scan4Safety program is a perfect example of where deploying the right solution has a real, positive impact on the experience of both patients and staff. The key to the success of Scan4Safety program has been the interaction with our suppliers and technology providers. Working with the market we have been able to achieve change in a very limited timeline.”
Wayne Miller, Healthcare Director EMEA, Zebra Technologies, commented: “Improving healthcare procedures through better technology and alignment to global standards is an important task that can save lives and drive significant cost savings. Zebra’s products are optimised to work together for ease of deployment and use. Following our success with the LTHT, we are pleased to note that Zebra now has technology present in every NHS Scan4Safety Foundation Flagship Trust.”
