Services provided by Faro Hospital could become quicker, thanks to a computer system that will enable the casualty department doctors to monitor patients through the whole process. Having access to an x-ray on a computer screen while the patient is doing tests in another department is one of the possibilities of the new system known as Alert that has been acquired by the Faro District Hospital, which has been in operation since 14th June.

The system interacts with the hospital’s computerised data base, and it allows for warnings to be sent to the medical team about patients who have not been treated for some time or about test results that are ready and can be used in the casualty department, where Alert is installed.

Francisco Serra, voting member of the Board of Administration of the Faro District Hospital, told the Algarve Observer that doctors in the casualty department have access to x-rays in electronic format, as well as other diagnostic tests. In this way, the system allows procedures to be optimised and enables the casualty department doctor to monitor clinical cases better.

According to the same source, the system will also enable areas to be defined with greater precision where it is possible to make improvements to services.

Alert is also part of the Manchester triage priorities system which was already in operation at the HDF.

The system is operated at work stations with a touch screen which are strategically placed in the Emergency Department, thus enabling all health professionals to see all the documentation in the patient’s clinical records, to identify problems and outstanding tests and have access to reports on previous episodes and other information, all of this without needing to use any paper.

The implementation of the Alert system has a budget of 1 million euros, and of this amount 250,000 euros will be paid out of the hospital budget, with the remainder being paid through the “Saúde XXI” programme under the third Community Support Framework.

source: Algarve Observer