Sicily uses Orbis to evaluate EPR plans

Agfa HealthCare’s ORBIS Electronic Patient Record software is to be used in an evaluation of sharing patient information across the Italian region of Sicily.

Elements of the Orbis EPR software are being evaluated at the Vincenzo Carvello hospital in Palermo. The 400-bed hospital manages the entire patient flow through all hospital departments.

Roberto Lagalla, regional Health Minister of Sicily, is sponsoring the project and has made data sharing within the regional healthcare sector a priority.

The goal of the project is to optimise the process of care and the efficiency of the hospital, both in terms of patient care and the communication among healthcare professionals.

The trial will give the Cervello hospital the ability to test the capability and the flexibility of ORBIS, and the software’s ability to integrate the existing information systems at departmental, as well as at enterprise level.

The Cervello hospital will introduce the Orbis ward graphic and medical documentation modules, as well as specific order entry and results reporting connections, in a single pilot department, namely the chest surgery department.

The use of these modules enables the clinicians and nurses of the department to have real-time access to reliable patient clinical information, promoting rapid response rates and providing for up-to-the-minute information updates.

Francesco Falgares, CEO of Cervello Hospital, said: "We are honoured that Cervello hospital has been selected for this trial project and we hope to be able to expand the Agfa HealthCare solution to the other units and wards in the future.”

Arndt Lorenz, Agfa HealthCare’s business operations manager, said: "Agfa HealthCare’s leading Hospital IT solution enables the chest surgery department of Cervello Hospital to improve the quality of clinical documentation and to standardise the clinical patient folder, whilst at the same time maintaining the flexibility required within its medical specialty."