Implementing standard operating procedures (SOPs) means launching rockets in hospital settings
Release Date – 08:00 AM, Thursday – 2 March 23
Hyderabad: The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is known for its meticulous planning and successful rocket launches with pinpoint accuracy and zero-error completion. Can such proven practices of ISRO be implemented in healthcare settings to save precious lives?
To explore such possibilities, ISRO is collaborating with several super-specialty hospitals in India, including some in Hyderabad, to implement its Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for launching rockets, in hospital settings, particularly in emergency and critical care departments. . That has a high mortality rate.
Aptly titled HealthQuest (Quality Upgradation Enabled by Space Technology), emphasis is placed on having and implementing zero-error procedures to reduce errors by caregivers in highly stressful emergency and hospital critical care units.
Pushed forward by former ISRO Chairman, AS Kiran Kumar, the initiative was launched in multiple cities including emergency and critical care departments of Apollo and Continental Hospitals in Hyderabad in collaboration with AHPI and Consortium of Accredited Healthcare Organizations (CAHO).
The main objective of Health QUEST is to recommend easily adaptable systems for zero-error ER (Emergency Room) design, input-throughput-output, patient flow, specific aspects of ER processes to improve outcomes (without redundancy) in any emergency department in India. supply or manpower or cost impact), report deviations for compliance monitoring and corrective action.
Zero-error:
Traditionally, emergency and intensive care departments have high mortality rates in all hospitals. Care givers in emergency and critical care wings are under intense stress and strain, as they race against time to save critically ill patients. In order to reduce the death rate in such sections, human and machine errors needed to be brought close to zero.
As part of Health QUEST, ISRO’s three domains including design, conformance and performance were applied to emergency and intensive care departments of hospitals. This included a complete redesign of the emergency department, including patient waiting areas, triage or bedside triage and resuscitation areas.
QUEST also recommended the exact amount of space required for an emergency department to function ideally. It also defined emergency department patient flow i.e. input-throughput and outpatient flow based on the volume and space available in the healthcare facility and recommended specific ER flow patterns aimed at seamless flow of healthcare facilities.
