Axis solution implemented in artificial dialysis machine room helps create 24-hour surveillance system

Burden on medical staff reduced via remote monitoring of medical devices

“It was necessary to obtain information about alarms issued by the machines quickly and deal with them correctly. We must not keep patients waiting.“ Chief Engineer Kiyohumi Takatori, clinical engineer at Motomura Clinic for Internal Medicine.

Mission

Motomura Clinic for Internal Medicine is located in Oonojyou-shi, Fukuoka Prefecture, near Fukuoka-shi. The clinic is a lifeline to more than seventy patients who need artificial dialysis, and the artificial dialysis devices in the clinic operate every day without ceasing. The inside of the facility is divided into a dialysis room where patients undergo artificial dialysis and a machine room for creating dialysate, and generally the machine room is centered around four machines. Every day these machines are cleaned and sterilized automatically during the night in preparation for next day’s dialysis. Therefore, if an alarm goes off during nighttime operation, it is necessary for medical staff to inspect and deal with the cause of the alarm even during the night. Up till this time at the clinic, a notification system using a telephone line was employed, but with this system it was not possible to know detailed content of alarms, and it was necessary to find out specific alarm content after arriving at the machine room. “To quickly obtain information on specific content of alarms and respond correctly,” – this was the challenge.

Solution

Chief Engineer Kiyohumi Takatori, a clinical engineer who manages the artificial dialysis machines, thought about ways to solve this challenge using videos for over ten years. He had the idea to photograph the monitors which the machines are equipped with using a video camera. However, the four machines are placed apart from one another in the room and cannot easily be moved. A camera that could accurately photograph the monitors of the four machines installed in different places was required.

Result

After the implementation of the AXIS P5534 PTZ Network Camera, the following results were gained:

All the clinical engineers and medical device management providers can grasp content of alarms issued instantly, so action as a team without undue burden on particular staff members is now possible

By checking videos, communication with managers in the clinic can be conducted and decisions and directions regarding operations, parts replacement, and the like can be made based on accurate information, and therefore it has become possible to reduce the delay in decisions caused by difference in experience

axisFlexSubContent