BONUS - RUSTENBURG - The power of digital technology to improve health and care for patients is being felt at Netcare Ferncrest Hospital following the implementation of a pioneering electronic medical record system that is being adopted at Netcare facilities.
“Few hospitals in the world have the capability for specialists and healthcare teams to view patients’ clinical information, test results and vital observations remotely in real time. Netcare is the first private healthcare provider in South Africa to have invested in developing a state of the art electronic medical record system,” says Jacques du Plessis, managing director of Netcare’s hospital division.
Jabulani Ndlovu, general manager of Netcare Ferncrest Hospital, says that all the staff members and most of the independent healthcare practitioners practising at the hospital have received training and have enthusiastically embraced the onboarding of the new world class, integrated and fully mobile system, given its unprecedented advantages for enhancing patient care.
All documentation and management of patient records are done electronically, with full electronic ordering tests by, and receiving results from, pathology laboratories, radiology and the blood bank, with information feeding directly into the mobile platform. In addition, the hospital now has digital integration of medical equipment and devices in ICUs and theatres.
Having access to the most comprehensive and up to date information at their fingertips at all times has the important benefit of informing clinical decision making in real time. This technology also makes it easier than ever for practitioners to collaborate, enabling multidisciplinary teams to work together with access to all relevant patient information. Up to date, accurate information enables more personalised and efficient treatment, informed by treatment protocols, to achieve the best possible outcome for each patient.
Through the system, all electronic prescriptions are checked for any potentially harmful interactions between medication, duplicate medication and medication allergies that a patient may have. In addition, for the first time, pharmacists have access to the patient’s complete medication record, to better inform safe medication dispensing practices, including review of medication administration compliance.
