KNOXVILLE, Tenn., April 22, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The University of Tennessee Medical Center and DeRoyal Industries are partnering to bring an innovative supplies tracking system with the potential to revolutionize efficiency and patient safety in the operating room. The system, Continuum®OR, created by DeRoyal and tested and refined at the medical center, uses radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to develop surgery procedure supply lists specific to each surgeon (doctor preference cards), improve inventory management and supply tracking, and enhance quality care.
"As in most facilities, the tracking of supplies was primarily a manual system often performed by clinical staff," said Brian C. DeBusk, Chief Executive Officer at DeRoyal Industries. "The new system serves to automate and drive accurate doctor preference card maintenance in a way that the manual process never could."
The average rate of items collected for a surgical procedure that are not used has been estimated to be as high 70 percent. As a result of the collaboration the medical center has seen improvements to operating room efficiencies and patient safety.
"Surgical supplies specifically associated with a surgical case are automatically tracked to the patient," said Becky Ashin, vice president of the Advanced Orthopaedic Center at The University of Tennessee Medical Center. "The orthopaedic operating rooms recognized a 99 percent read rate of supplies used in every case by putting supply packaging into this specially designed container. This allows us to accurately track supplies, reduce traffic in and out of operating rooms to retrieve needed supplies and improve recycling by separating bio hazardous waste,"
Ashin noted the next step is to expand the Continuum®OR project through the remainder of the year to 30 additional operating rooms. UT Medical Center also will begin tracking implants and instrument trays via RFID. The ongoing program will expand as additional benefits of having tagged supply items are identified.
ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE MEDICAL CENTER
The mission of The University of Tennessee Medical Center, the region's only hospital to achieve status as a Magnet® recognized organization, is to serve through healing, education and discovery. UT Medical Center, a 581-bed, not-for-profit academic medical center, serves as a referral center for Eastern Tennessee, Southeast Kentucky and Western North Carolina. The medical center, the region's only Level I Trauma Center, is one of the largest employers in Knoxville. For more information about The University of Tennessee Medical Center, visit online at www.utmedicalcenter.org.
ABOUT DEROYAL
Founded in 1973, medical device manufacturer DeRoyal is committed to improving both the clinical quality and economic health of its customers. With 2,000 employees, 2.5 million square feet (~232,000 square meters) under roof, operations in six countries and five U.S. states, and manufacturing assets on three continents, DeRoyal brings value to its customers in several distinct markets; these include surgical devices, unitized delivery systems, orthopedic supports & bracing, wound care dressings as well as orthopedic implants. Key core competencies include injection molding, device assembly, metal fabrication, converting, electronics assembly, and sterilization services. DeRoyal combines these fundamental manufacturing capabilities with its own unique services and information technology tools to deliver unparalleled value to its customers with a particular expertise in disrupting dysfunctional markets. For additional DeRoyal product information, visit the DeRoyal website at www.deroyal.com.
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