The EH&S office wanted to optimize the patient handling team's availability and efficiency and eliminate the administrative costs associated with keying the daily log information into a central database. This data entry cost averaged approximately $200 per week based upon an average of 800 lifts per month recorded into the system.

A simple Palm handheld solution
The EH&S office began searching for a simple and economical way to track lift data, looking at various mobile data collection programs compatible with Palm OS and Microsoft Access.

By June 2001, the EH&S office at the South Sacramento Medical Center deployed Palm Vx handhelds running a forms application created with Pendragon Forms, Version 3.1 (by Pendragon Software Corporation at http://www.pendragonsoftware.com).

"We chose to use the Palm Vx because Palm Powered handhelds are the standard across Kaiser Permanente and offered the right mix of simplicity and functionality," said Gerigk. "Pendragon Forms was selected because it offered a user-friendly way to create a log form on the Palm handheld that could sync with an Access database."

How it works
Today, the patient handling team captures lift information on the Palm Vx throughout the day as tasks are performed. By creating pull-down menus, general responses can be collected easily with just a few screen taps, allowing the team to capture lift information quickly and accurately, as shown in Figure A.

FIGURE A

Patient and lift information is captured easily using the electronic form programmed with Pendragon Forms.

At the end of each shift, the team performs a HotSync operation between the Palm handheld and the PC in the EH&S office that holds the Access database. With a quick synchronization, information for reporting and tracking purposes is updated in minutes. Hours of data entry are no longer required.

Simple solution offers substantial returns
The lift team's handheld solution has produced a savings of $200 per week in data entry expenses for Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento Medical Center, and similar savings are expected at the other two Sacramento facilities now implementing the solution. This means that the investment in development and hardware made by Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento Medical Center achieved payback in only four weeks.

"The lift team members can record lift information on the Palm handheld and download it into the Access database so quickly that the lift team spends less time recording information and more time providing patient care," Gerigk said. "The handheld solution has also improved the accuracy of lift log information by eliminating handwriting issues. And it has accelerated the availability of that information to those who need it."

The application has enabled the lift team to identify peak periods for various kinds of lift requests. This has helped the center shift the schedules of its lift team to better meet patient needs.

The handheld application has also made it easier for the hospital to see what patient handling equipment it uses most, like the equipment shown in Figure B.