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Monash Health moves to eliminate pagers with a 21st century communication tool designed to improve after-hour care
Lynne Minion | 27 Mar 2018
HOSPITAL MANAGEMENT

As night settles in or weekends come around, hospital staffing levels usually decline while patient needs can remain the same, which is why Monash Health has deployed a new clinical messaging system to improve after-hours care.

With the rollout of Smartpage, which went live at Monash Medical Centre and Monash Children’s Hospital in March, medical staff are able to communicate securely out of hours via smartphones.

Designed to improve efficiency and decrease risk to patients, the app from health informatics company Alcidion replaces the long-superceded technology of pagers.

“Smartpage is the first comprehensive clinical messaging tool that has been officially deployed in Australian hospitals, moving us away from an archaic system into the 21st century,” Alcidion CEO Ray Blight told Healthcare IT News Australia.  

After hours communication has long been a challenge for healthcare providers, particularly hospitals, according to Blight. Minimal staff are typically rostered on and the condition of patients can deteriorate at any time. But the Smartpage software allows for life-saving clinical collaboration.

“Doctors using pagers could previously only receive very short text messages and would have to pick up a phone to respond. Now they have access to instant, two-way communication, and this improves both productivity and patient care.”

The app is used by Monash Health staff in the night and weekend hours when patient occupancy can remain the same as during peak operating hours.

“Doctors can track the whereabouts of staff and their workload, and provide assistance long before major issues arise. In addition, the small number of senior doctors now have increased visibility into the hospital as a whole and can intervene at the first sign of an issue.”

Blight said the secure, real-time communication tool encrypts patient information and houses it in Australia, and was implemented successfully thanks to the support of clinicians.

“The initial roll out to Monash Medical Centre and Monash Children’s Hospital has been deemed a great success due to great engagement with clinical staff and an excellent project team. Furthermore, the requirements were planned collaboratively with the customer at commencement of project, leading to clear workflow improvements realised immediately after the go live date,” he said.

“This was a testament to our technology – with a proven track record of success and reliability at four major hospitals in New Zealand over the last 4-5 years. It’s easy to understand, very intuitive to use, and we’ve taken the learnings from previous rollouts and implemented here.”

Servicing a population of about 1.4 million people, Monash Health’s network of public hospitals includes Monash Medical Centre, Monash Children’s Hospital, Dandenong Hospital and Casey Hospital.

The future Smartpage roll out plans will see the introduction of 24-hour use at Monash Health Centre, the expansion of the system to other Monash campuses, and the use of the Smartpage Orderly module.

Alcidion’s Blight said the initial installation was completed on time and on budget. The current three-year contract is valued at $389,000, and Monash has an option to extend by two years, bringing the potential total investment to $500,000.