Workflow and information sharing boost at Dublin hospital
Children\'s University Hospital deploys InterSystems\' Ensemble rapid integration platform
The Children’s University Hospital in Dublin has implemented InterSystems Ensemble rapid integration platform to improve the sharing of information and workflow between departments.
Founded in 1872, the facility is one of Ireland’s leading centres of excellence for paediatric care and has recently replaced its legacy integration engine with a robust architecture that is fully compliant with the Health-Level-7 industry standard.
Using Ensemble has transformed the hospital’s ability to integrate systems and improved information and communication technology governance and support for patient care. For example, the new integration capability facilitates the hospital’s compliance with enhanced Health Service Executive reporting requirements, and patients are less likely to need to supply the same information to each department. This means staff spend less time re-entering the same data, which reduces data entry errors, and leaves staff more time to spend caring for patients.
This enables us to modernise our ICT systems in an exceptionally cost-effective way, now and in the future
The integration services were provided by InterSystems application partner, BlueNote, a Dublin-based specialist in systems integration, data management, and project management. The Children’s University Hospital’s information and communication technology (ICT ) team can now ‘plug and play’ interfaces using a standard process, which reduces the time and cost of bringing interfaces online. This helps futureproof operational systems by making it easier for the hospital to create new ICT services to meet changing requirements.
The initial phase of the programme addressed linking the Patient Administration System (PAS) with a data repository as a management information system, which uses the InterSystems Caché high-performance object database. That phase enabled data to flow from the PAS to several departmental systems including the picture archiving system, radiology system, emergency department system, and therapy management systems. The current phase focuses on using integration to share the laboratory system data repository with other departments.
David Wall, ICT manager at the hospital, said: “Ensemble provides a sophisticated and robust platform for interface integration and has given us more flexibility and functionality than we had previously. This enables us to modernise our ICT systems in an exceptionally cost-effective way, now and in the future.”
It can significantly improve working methods and reduce duplication of form filling as patient information can now be easily accessed and shared among departments
Jonathan Selby, UK and Ireland country manager at InterSystems, added: “We are delighted we were able to help the hospital with this important capability for information sharing. It can significantly improve working methods and reduce duplication of form filling as patient information can now be easily accessed and shared among departments.”
The hospital is also replacing its PAS and theatre management systems and is using Ensemble to speed the transition by migrating its data and processes to the new national system. In addition, by the end of 2012 the hospital plans to have implemented and integrated its intensive care unit clinical information system with the rest of its systems.
