HOSPITAL IMPLEMENTATION CASE STUDY
GraftTracker® keeps all tissue data just a few keystrokes away

HOSPITAL
The hospital is a 235-bed hospital in Maryland.

CHALLENGE
Tissue information management outgrew a simple spreadsheet application.

RESULT
The hospital now has a system that makes managing complex tissue data simple and easily accessible.

A Maryland hospital faced the same challenge all hospitals face—how to effectively and efficiently manage the complex data associated with tracking bone and tissue. They had outgrown a basic spreadsheet application, resulting

in staff time spent duplicating records on the spreadsheet and paper, and more administrative time spent ensuring that key data was tracked accurately. The hospital needed a system that was capable of managing the extensive data associated with tissue tracking, while still having an interface that would be easy to use for the staff. GraftTracker meets both of these needs.

Spreadsheet Tracking: Time Consuming & Repetitive

The hospital experienced many administrative challenges while using a spread- sheet system for tracking bone and tissue used throughout the hospital. As the products came into the hospital, they were manually entered into a spreadsheet. The file included different tabs for each bone or tissue item, making the file cumbersome to work with. There was also the challenge of tracking multiple quantities with the same lot numbers.

The system that developed using the spreadsheet essentially created double work for the staff. Both the spreadsheet and a paper implant record form had to be completed for each bone or tissue used. The paper forms and the spreadsheet were meant to back each other up, however this duplica- tion of effort represented an extensive investment of staff time.

The challenges of a manual paper and spreadsheet based system were highlighted during recalls in the past few years. An announced recall would result in multiple staff members spending many days tracking down paper-based patient records to ensure a proper response to the recall.

GraftTracker®: efficient and effective

Staff from the hospital first learned about GraftTracker at an Association of operating Room nurses (AoRn) meet- ing. They looked at multiple programs and determined that GraftTracker included the most options that were important for their tissue management needs.

The perioperative Resources Coordinator, described the changes since implementing GraftTracker, “i can see all of our data at a glance, including the expiration date and FdA certificates for any piece of bone or tissue.”The program significantly reduces the burden on her position to manage the collection and organization of data relating to tissues, resulting in far less time spent on these tasks. While some staff members were initially concerned that the new system would take up a lot of time, they soon realized that data management with GraftTracker takes less than a minute. From then on, the Resource Coordinator said that, “the staff liked it!”

While the hospital had not recently been through a Joint Commission audit prior to implementing GraftTracker, they definitely experienced the benefit of having the program in place for a recent audit. The perioperative Resources Coordinator described how with just a few keystrokes she was able to provide all the information the auditor needed on a specific tissue, including when it arrived, where it was stored, and how it looked. The auditor was impressed by the efficiency and accuracy of the data stored in the GraftTracker program.

With all of the staff fully trained on the program, GraftTracker has significantly reduced the amount of administrative time needed to manage the bone and tissue data. By ensuring that data is tracked efficiently and effectively, the program has become an integral part of the hospital’s patient care.

Download the Hospital Implementation Case Study