THIS makes a change from the vending machines full of crisps and chocolate that we’re used to.
The Belfast Mater Hospital has introduced an innovative new piece of technology into their hospital called HemoSafe, which offers a safer and more efficient method for delivering blood products to patients.
The technology has been implemented and utilized successfully in London and in parts of the United States, but the Belfast Mater is the first hospital in Ireland to take on the product.
It has proved so successful that there are plans to roll it out in other hospitals across the Belfast Health Trust.
How does it work? The HemoSafe is an automated system which uses blood track software to track a sample of blood a doctor or nurse takes from a patient and sends it to the lab. If the patient needs extra units, the information is already available and can be simply verified.
The benefit for staff is that the piece of equipment significantly cuts down paperwork and helps to avoid costly mistakes.
A nurse within the Belfast Mater, who is the clinical leader behind the project, said; “It’s a winner for the patient and our service and it is safe and efficient.”
“It’s better for the staff working in the theatre department because we have a lot less paperwork to fill in.
“It’s automated, so every piece of information that is associated with that blood unit is documented in a database rather than doing it manually.”
