Medicine is Time Critical
Time is of the essence, so the saying goes, and nowhere is this more significant than in medicine where patient lives are on the line. Accurate time isn't a mere convenience in a healthcare facility; it's a central way of ensuring that processes are running efficiently and patient safety is paramount. It determines when a patient receives medication, when shift changes occur, when appointments begin and end, how long a patient can undergo surgery and when medicines should be taken to name a few.
Timely administration
Keeping any healthcare facility running efficiently is dependent on accurate time. Hospitals, GP surgeries and dentists all rely on precise time to meet appointments and manage staff changeover. Doctors, nurses and medical practitioners are required to record accurate details of patient care to avoid potentially fatal consequences. This is especially important in hospitals which are large, multi-departmental organisations where patients are often moved between different departments for specific procedures. It is therefore critical that procedures and timings are recorded accurately. Literally every clock, in every corridor, on every ward, in every waiting area and every operating theatre should be synchronised for the protection of patients, staff and the institution as a whole.
Precision Timing in Surgery
Operating theatres depend on accurate time. The surgeon needs to know then the operation is to take place and how long the procedure has taken, so they need to know both the actual time as well a way of recording elapsed time. Anaesthetists also rely on accurate time in order to administer anaesthetics at correct intervals.
Many surgeries and treatments require interdepartmental coordination. For example, organ harvest and donation activities need near-flawless coordination efforts, so it is essential that time is synchronised between departments.
If a patient does experience complications, goes into cardiac arrest, and needs to be resuscitated, accurate time is vital in following the guidelines for performing CPR. For example, professionals are trained to check for a pulse or breathing. If there is no breathing or a pulse within 10 seconds, they should begin CPR. Resuscitation procedures should continue for at least 15 minutes after cardiac arrest.
Accurate Time For Medication
Accurate time is particularly critical when administering drugs. Exact times must be recorded to ensure life-saving drugs are administered at the required intervals. Overlong gaps between doses reduce efficacy, whilst too frequent doses can result in overdoses. This is especially important when patients move between different departments during their treatment. Every aspect of patient care needs to be timed to perfection, because hospitals experience regular staff changeovers. Therefore, it’s vital that time records are accurate for the purposes of medical staff relaying patient information to each other.
Bodet Time’s Medical Time Solutions
To ensure all healthcare facilities run like clockwork, Bodet Time has the answer.
Whether you prefer analogue or digital, we offer a very wide range of stylish, state of the art clocks that also include LCD clocks with low-light displays and silent running to avoid patient disturbance. They are all designed to be easily cleaned and conform to hygiene standards. All slave clocks can be synchronised from a master clock using a time distribution system via dedicated cables, a pre-existing ethernet network or a DHF radio signal transmitted across your premises.
When elapsed time is important, Bodet Time also has a wide range of LED digital clocks that not only display the time but can also count down or count up time in seconds, minutes, hours and even days.
The most effective way to guarantee synchronisation of accurate time across the whole site is by using a dedicated device such as Bodet Time’s Netsilon NTP time server. It receives reliable time and date signals from GPS satellites, and not only powers and synchronises every slave clock but also links to all time dependent devices including computers, CCTV and access control. As the server sits within your firewall, it eliminates the vulnerability of using a public time server, ensuring the integrity of your IT network security.
SEE OUR RANGE OF SYNCHRONISED CLOCKS AND HOW WE CAN SUPPORT YOU
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