Technology boosts home care in Dublin
Leopardstown Hospital introduces real-time monitoring and administration of older patients
A new project is underway at Leopardstown Hospital in Dublin which will help nurses and therapists to keep older people in their homes for longer.
The IMS MAXIMS clinical PAS has already proved a major success among nurses looking after the south Dublin hospital’s 170-plus residents – mostly people aged over 60 with a range of physical and mental health needs and requiring long-term care.
IMS MAXIMS is now working with staff to extend the system by introducing the MAXIMS Scheduler alongside the existing Nursing module so it can be used for the real-time monitoring and administration of the 275 patients a week who attend day hospitals.
The inpatient solution will also be expanded so it can be used by allied health professionals and social care staff.
Gerard McEntee, assistant director of nursing, said: “A central part of the project will be to introduce MAXIMS for our day hospitals where we provide a range of services, such as occupational and speech therapy and dietetics for older persons. It will really support our staff in their work to keep people independent for longer and living in their own homes, which is where they want to be.”
The system will be accessible from any computer terminal in the hospital and will allow the same record to be accessed and updated by several authorised users at the same time.
Shane Tickell, IMS MAXIMS chief executive, said: “We have been working closely with Leopardstown Hospital for some time now and have been really impressed by its determination to provide the best possible care for older and sometimes very vulnerable people. Our objective is to support the work of its nurses and AHPs to enable older people to lead full and independent lives for as long as possible.
“By extending MAXIMS to the day hospitals, and giving wider staff access to the inpatient system, the hospital is able to provide more integrated services without the time delays and potential errors that come with paper-based systems. What’s especially rewarding about this new project is that we will be providing care staff with a solution they have seen, used, liked and asked for.”