VEVEY, Switzerland, Sept. 13, 2013 -- As a new medical center, Hopital Riviera's daily radiotherapy patient volume started out small, but now – averaging 40 patients per day – patient volume has significantly increased. The introduction of VMAT in many more cases has resulted in a substantial reduction in the time slot – from 15 to 20 minutes down to 10-15 minutes – which has enabled a 50 percent increase in patients treated per day.
Patient volume at Hopital Riviera could go even higher, as the medical center is also among the first in the world to begin treating patients with Elekta's Versa HD™ system (July 2013).
To ensure optimal patient and accessory identification in its busy radiation oncology department, Hopital Riviera has begun using Elekta's Identify™ system, bringing an additional level of confidence to patient setup.
From the moment the patient enters the treatment room, Identify positively verifies the right patient and the accessories required for his or her treatment. Through integration with Elekta's MOSAIQ® Oncology Information System, it gives cancer care professionals confidence by ensuring the right accessories are present for each patient's treatment session. The key to Identify is that it is based on advanced radiofrequency identification (RFID) technology, which automates the identification of the patient and accessories and provides independent verification.
"Our main reason for purchasing Identify was enhancing patient security as an error-prevention measure as our volume increased," says Marc Pachoud, PhD, medical physicist at Hopital Riviera. "We had been using a manual checklist system. A bar code system was an option, but that would be too time-consuming for the technicians to do manual scanning. With Identify, patient identification is completely automated – there's nothing required of the technicians. The system checks the patient's identity from an RFID card and everything that is on the couchtop for the patient's treatment."
Dr. Pachoud observes that for Hopital Riviera, a key advantage of Identify is removing a burden from technicians, so they can concentrate on the patient's treatment.
"The technicians are definitely less stressed now," he says. "If you decrease technician stress, I think that improves patient safety. The technicians love Identify and they are much more confident in their patient care responsibilities."
To learn more about Identify, visit www.elekta.com/Identify.
Identify and Versa HD are not available for sale in all markets. Please contact your local Elekta representative for more details.
About Elekta
Elekta is a human care company pioneering significant innovations and clinical solutions for treating cancer and brain disorders. The company develops sophisticated, state-of-the-art tools and treatment planning systems for radiation therapy, radiosurgery and brachytherapy, as well as workflow enhancing software systems across the spectrum of cancer care. Stretching the boundaries of science and technology, providing intelligent and resource-efficient solutions that offer confidence to both healthcare providers and patients, Elekta aims to improve, prolong and even save patient lives.
Today, Elekta solutions in oncology and neurosurgery are used in over 6,000 hospitals worldwide. Elekta employs around 3,500 employees globally. The corporate headquarters is located in Stockholm, Sweden, and the company is listed on the Nordic Exchange under the ticker EKTAb. Website: www.elekta.com.