Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Realises Cost & Time Efficiencies Thanks to Scandit Mobile Barcode Scanning

Scandit, the leading developer of next-generation mobile data capture solutions based on computer vision, augmented reality and machine learning, has been instrumental in a highly successful pilot scheme run by Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, one of the largest and busiest acute hospital trusts in the UK. Scandit's technology sat at the core of a fit-for-purpose scanning app that allowed medical staff to capture vital patient, product and location data.

     (Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/703920/Leeds_NHS_Trust_Scanning.jpg )

The pilot scheme was implemented by Leeds Teaching Hospitals under the government's Scan4Safety programme, which aims to improve patient safety, product accountability, location traceability and make processes more efficient through the use of point-of-care data capture technologies.  

Scandit integrated its software-based scanning with an electronic patient record solution, PPM+, which was developed internally by the Trust. This allowed clinicians and nurses to leverage the computing power of mobile phones and other smart devices when scanning patients. The pilot scheme ran on six devices in the Breast Care Unit and because staff were able to carry out an increasing number of scans, they gave very positive feedback.

"The pilot scheme to test the Scandit solution worked so well that both clinicians and nurses didn't want us to take it away," commented Stuart MacMillan, Programme Manager, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. "In terms of Scan4Safety eProcurement deliverables we are now in a very strong position, so our next task is to plan how we roll it out to more than 800 devices across the Trust and engage with staff in other departments, particularly in the operating theatres. We have every confidence in the scanning software capabilities of Scandit."

The plan now is for Scandit's technology to become part of improvements to the Trust's inventory management, allowing it to capture data across all points of care, including medical machinery and equipment and procedural information. In addition, the Trust is working closely with Scandit to incorporate location tracking through GLN (Global Location Number) barcodes, which will make it the first Trust in the Scan4Safety programme to take this step.

"Scan4Safety will allow us 24/7 tracking of our patients to allow our endoscopy, radiology and theatre teams to be as efficient as possible. It allows our clinicians to manage their patients more closely and safely, including possible contribution to reduction of never events. Being able to perform patient / product recalls at the touch of a button, with greater reassurance of completeness is a tremendous facility. Reducing unnecessary waste by reducing unnecessary stock, eliminating out of date stock and being able to be open and challenging about unwarranted clinical variation is essential for an efficient hospital of the future.  Scan4Safety is a real addition to good clinical practice." said Dr David Berridge, Deputy Chief Medical Officer.

Paul Davis, VP of Sales, Northern Europe at Scandit, said: "We are delighted that the pilot scheme went so well, and we are working closely with the Trust to help them realise not just the improvements that mobile barcode scanning can make in time and efficiency, but also in costs. They have already carried out tests comparing the length of time that it takes for a nurse to recall a product using the old system, and the length of time using the new inventory system and found that the minimum saving in time is just under eight hours, which represents approximately £164. Given the number of product recalls that the Trust has to implement over the course of a year, this represents a massive financial saving."

About Scandit  

At Scandit, we are helping business users and consumers to augment the physical world with relevant digital information in real time through barcodes, images and other visual identifiers captured with smart devices such as smartphones, wearables, drones, and robots.

With our next-generation mobile data capture platform built on proprietary computer vision, machine learning and augmented reality, we enable businesses to unlock previously unavailable levels of insights into enterprise processes and workflows, resulting in more efficient decisions, more effective employees, lower cost and more satisfied customers and clients.

Don't just take our word for it. Many of the world's most innovative and successful companies are already reaping the benefits of Scandit's next-generation mobile data capture platform. Our clients include GE Healthcare, Cardinal Health, Johnson & Johnson, Camelot, Doddle, Kantar Worldpanel, Clarks and Deutsche Post/DHL.

For more information visit www.scandit.com.