New IT solution provides real-time data overview of wards and beds at Finnish hospitals

Kanta-Häme Hospital District in Finland has purchased Systematic’s Columna Ward Overview- an IT solution that provides a real-time overview of patients and bed capacity. The solution will free-up staff time and provide better care for patients.

Keeping track of patients and beds in a busy hospital can be complicated. How many beds are available? Which need cleaning? And which nurse is responsible for which patients?

Kanta-Häme Hospital District in Finland has purchased the IT solution Columna Ward Overview to relieve this problem. With the system, care staff get an up-to-date situational picture of available and occupied beds in the wards. The system is developed by the Danish software company Systematic, and will be implemented on 18 wards with a total of approximately 340 beds at the Hämeenlinna and Riihimäki hospitals this spring.

By choosing a ward from the ward list, a visual map of the ward rooms provides information about the occupied and available beds. For each occupied bed, the system shows the patient's name, age, gender, and estimated date of discharge. Healthcare professionals are also able to add the name of the responsible nurse, as well as the speciality under which a patient is being treated.

“Columna Ward Overview provides us with a real-time overview of the bed capacity at the ward so we always know where we have empty beds, as well as which nurse is responsible for each patient. It is also possible to use the information for planning bed maintenance and cleaning”, says Marja Koljonen, Chief Nurse at Kanta-Häme Hospital District.

“The site map helps specialist doctors locate their patients, thereby streamlining doctors’ rounds at the various wards. When such practicalities become easier, we have more time for patient care. At the end of the day, this is what it’s all about”, she adds.

The solution will also enable Kanta-Häme Hostpital District to live up to the current rules and legislation on patient data management. Hospital staff will only be able to access data they need to do their jobs. Data is transferred directly from the Clinical Information System, and the solution is integrated with the user management system of the hospital district, furthermore usage information is recorded in the audit log.

Systematic, the Danish software company behind Columna Ward Overview, is looking forward to implementing the system in Kanta-Häme Hospital District.

“Being able to support hospitals in their important work means a lot to us. We know from previous experiences that Columna Ward Overview brings about many benefits to hospital staff which in turn improves the patient experience, for instance with less waiting time”, says Timo A. Rantanen, responsible for healthcare business development at Systematic in Finland.

The first rollouts of the new system will take place in spring 2020.

For further information, please contact: Timo A. Rantanen, tel. +358 400 621 597 or email timo.a.rantanen@systematic.com