Cardiovascular Foundation of Colombia Optimizes Traceability, Improves Patient Care
The non-profit institution implemented technology to identify each patient at the time of admission to ensure correct care is given to each person.
Zebra Success Story: Cardiovascular Foundation of Colombia
Overview: Healthcare Challenge
To continuously improve its internal operations and accelerate digital transformation, Cardiovascular Foundation of Colombia wanted a cost-effective solution that would help it improve patient care, traceability and staff productivity.
Benefits / Outcomes
- Improved patient identification.
- Decreased risk of medication errors.
- Increased accuracy of user care by 98%.
Customer
Cardiovascular Foundation of Colombia
Bucaramanga, Colombia
Partner
Industry
Healthcare
Solutions
About Cardiovascular Foundation of Colombia
Cardiovascular Foundation is a 36-year-old non-profit institution, founded for the development of medical health sciences. It has a broad portfolio with about 5,000 employees, 750 hospital beds and 200 virtual hospital beds. The International Hospital of Colombia and the Cardiovascular Institute were awarded a Health Level Seven certification, which is the highest level of digital maturity. According to this certification, it is the first in Colombia to achieve this level and the ninth in Latin America.
The Challenge
Every patient at the institution, whether receiving emergency care, hospital services or treatment in intensive care units and operating rooms, is identified through advanced technology. Upon admission, each patient is given a barcode bracelet to ensure accurate identification. This technological implementation has enabled Cardiovascular Foundation of Colombia to significantly reduce the occurrence of adverse events. It ensures the correct administration of medications, the accurate collection of laboratory samples, and the precise delivery of blood products to the right patient.
We have improved our patient safety processes and reduced the number of adverse events. This has had a direct impact on health outcomes that we want to achieve as a world-class institution.
The Solution
"The main improvement is the focus on patient safety. Each patient has a unique identification code," said Laura M. Barrios, Clinical Implementation Manager at Cardiovascular Foundation of Colombia. "We know that when an action is going to be performed, we are 100% sure that such the patient is the one that requires it."
The integration of the Zebra and Etimarcas solution has empowered the hospital to enhance confidence among nursing and clinical teams in administering products, while also optimizing traceability and patient safety.
The Zebra Difference: Outcome and Benefits
Cardiovascular Foundation of Colombia has successfully implemented traceability in its processes, allowing medical staff to provide enhanced attention to patients and improve information security, among many other benefits. This traceability and data enable the healthcare team to respond promptly and make well-informed decisions.
Cardiovascular Foundation of Colombia has experienced immediate benefits from the solution. In July 2021, bedside verification was at 50%; by July 2022, the hospital achieved 95% coverage. Additionally, there was a 40% reduction in incidents involving the inappropriate administration of medication, incorrect samples and blood collection. Satisfaction is high across all levels, and user satisfaction has increased significantly due to the solution’s numerous advantages.
"We are very satisfied, as this has allowed us to obtain data that would otherwise have been impossible to get," concludes M. Carolina Aguirre, Director of Medical Information, Cardiovascular Foundation of Colombia. "We have improved our patient safety processes and reduced the number of adverse events. This has had a direct impact on health outcomes that we want to achieve as a world-class institution."
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