Application of QR Codes in Clinical Instrument and Equipment Management
Original: https://cli.im/article/detail/1924
With the continuous development of Internet+ information technology, and in order to keep pace with the Nursing Department's requirements for information management, the ICU has pioneered the application of CaoLiao QR code information management for over 100 commonly used instruments and equipment in the ward. These include PICOO2 monitors, blood purification machines, ventilators, ECG monitors, micro-injection pumps, defibrillators, electric suction devices, electrocardiographs, blood gas analyzers, and sputum excretion machines. This initiative has achieved informatized management of clinical equipment within the department.
Importance of Instrument Management
The ICU is a hospital ward where critically ill patients are concentrated for intensive treatment, housing the most advanced monitoring and treatment instruments. As medical standards continue to rise, numerous sophisticated medical devices are used in clinical work, consequently increasing the difficulty of managing and using medical equipment. Accurate and proficient mastery of each instrument's usage is fundamental to ensuring patient safety, while effective daily management and maintenance, ensuring equipment remains in a state of emergency readiness, are prerequisites for normal operation.
Drawbacks of Paper-Based Management
Conventional hospital instrument and equipment management typically involves creating cards with operation specifications, testing methods, maintenance instructions, etc., which are then pasted or hung on the devices for clinical nurses to study. The drawbacks of this method include: compromising the instrument's neatness and appearance; cards being prone to damage and loss; limited information capacity on cards; inconvenience for accessing and learning anytime, anywhere, failing to effectively meet training requirements. Due to daily cleaning and disinfection, original paper information barcodes for registered equipment gradually become blurred or even detach, making effective tracking after repairs difficult, and instrument instruction cards may have nowhere to hang.
Creation and Application Management of Informatized QR Codes
Under the leadership of Head Nurses Huang Caiyun and Lin Xian from the ICU, the core creative team members—Gu Feng, Li Jincong, Chen Yiwen, and Liang Shaowang—dedicated efforts to research. From learning how to create QR codes to completing the QR code management for departmental instruments and summarizing it in a PPT, it took only 7 days to ultimately achieve QR code informatized management for over 200 instruments in the department.
Our department's creative team first edited information for all instruments, including:
- General Information – Instrument name, appearance image, model/specifications, assigned department, manufacturer, and maintenance provider contact details;
- Instrument Usage Procedures and Methods – Flowcharts created according to operation standards;
- Maintenance Standards – Cleaning and disinfection requirements, usage precautions, maintenance methods;
- Instrument Tracking Information – Such as instrument loan records, repair information.
This information was input into a QR code generator to create QR codes. After generating and beautifying the QR codes, they were saved, downloaded, and printed as QR code labels. The QR codes were sealed with transparent film to make them easy to clean and resistant to moisture, and the labels were affixed to conspicuous locations on the instruments. Nurses can scan the QR codes with their mobile phones to access relevant instrument usage, operation, maintenance, and other information, allowing them to consolidate learning using fragmented time anytime, anywhere.
Informatized Instrument Management QR Codes
QR codes have low production costs, are environmentally friendly, and save on paper material costs and storage space. After generation, content can be modified and edited at any time without needing to change the QR code itself, allowing for permanent use. Simultaneously, they enable quick scanning to access instrument data and information for daily usage registration, routine maintenance, shift checks, instrument inventory, repair and inspection submissions, and other informatized registrations, saving nurses significant time and effort. Applying informatized QR codes in our department's instrument and equipment management has significantly improved nurses' work efficiency. Furthermore, for clinical training and teaching, learners can immediately access information with illustrations and text, enhancing teaching quality.
Experience Sharing on Informatized Instrument Management
Our department has successfully applied Internet+ CaoLiao QR codes to achieve the usage, maintenance, teaching, informatization, and homogenized management of clinical instruments and equipment, setting an example for all clinical departments in the hospital. This has fully mobilized the enthusiasm, initiative, and creativity of all department staff, enhancing their professional satisfaction, sense of honor, and achievement.
Article reproduced from the WeChat Public Platform: YLSY Critical Care Medicine "Application of Internet+ QR Codes in Clinical Instrument and Equipment Management"