PinBellCom launches lifesaving software
Healthcare software, MELVIS, designed to reduce the number of incidents relating to misuse of medical devices in hospitals
PinBellCom has announced the launch of its revolutionary healthcare software, MELVIS.
Devised in partnership with the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, MELVIS is designed to reduce the number of incidents and even deaths relating to misuse of medical devices in hospitals.
The software links the equipment database of a hospital with the electronic staff record (ESR) and the training records of every member of staff.
It can determine the location of a specific piece of equipment, flag up when training of specific staff members is required, as well as automatically organise courses for staff members. MELVIS has already produced an incremental improvement in medical device training at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
PinBellCom has worked alongside the Leeds Teaching Hospitals for over two years to perfect the software. Now it has been launched, the plan is to roll it out across additional NHS trusts. The company is currently in talks with a further 10 trusts in the UK.
The power of the MELVIS system is that it connects a trust's medical devices inventory with the ESR in a dynamic way so that records update with changes in staffing or equipment. This almost-real-time updating without investing in new trust-wide systems saves money and effort for the NHS organisation. This capability is vital for cash-strapped hospitals where so much changes on a daily basis and administration is a heavy burden on ensuring compliance and good governance.
“For the first time we are able to identify which staff need training on which devices and whether they have had that training,” said Shona Michael, head of clinical engineering at the trust.
“In MELVIS we can review records for an individual, a department, a directorate, or for the whole trust. By making departments aware of their MELVIS compliance reports, it has been possible to drive our training compliance upward in a way we could not do before we had this information.
“We have been showing MELVIS to colleagues in other trusts as we believe it could benefit other NHS organisations that are looking to improve their assurance systems for medical devices training."
David Coverdale, director at PinBellCom, added: “MELVIS has been a fantastic journey of collaboration with Leeds Teaching Hospitals to produce a solution which makes a real difference.
“MELVIS provides assurance, governance and evidence without investment in new systems, and gives staff and management confidence in their use and management of complex devices. Yes it may be the case that MELVIS will save lives.”
