By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: There’s a MERS Patient in Your Hospital: Now What?
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > News > There’s a MERS Patient in Your Hospital: Now What?
NewsTechnology

There’s a MERS Patient in Your Hospital: Now What?

Bill Crounse
Bill Crounse
Share
5 Min Read
SHARE

This week we learned from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about the first case of MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) that appears to have been transmitted from one person to another within the United States. Even more concerning is the fact that this most recent case was transmitted between two people who only had face-to-face business contact with each other.

This week we learned from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about the first case of MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) that appears to have been transmitted from one person to another within the United States. Even more concerning is the fact that this most recent case was transmitted between two people who only had face-to-face business contact with each other. Previously, experts believed that MERS was primarily a risk for those who had prolonged contact with an infected individual such as might occur between people living together or hospital staff caring for patients with MERS. Fortunately, the man infected in this latest case never experienced much in the way of symptoms. However, the man he caught it from wasn’t so fortunate. That man was hospitalized at Community Hospital in Munster, Indiana, where he continues to improve.

Worldwide there have now been more than 570 confirmed cases of the illness and 171 deaths. Cases of MERS have been identified in 18 countries, leading the World Health Organization to caution that the spread of MERS is becoming more serious and urgent.

So, what happens if a patient with MERS ends up in your hospital? Are you prepared to protect your staff and other patients? Well, that’s exactly what confronted administrators at Community Hospital in Munster. Lucky for them, the hospital was using a RFID tracking solution from Microsoft partner, Versus Technology.

More Read

Digitized Pathology Improves Study Results and Cuts Costs
What Causes Inflammation? A Comprehensive Look At The Causes and Effects Of Inflammation (part 2)
TalkItt: An App That Gives Voice to the Speech Impaired
SoundBite Medical Device Connects with Teeth To Restore Hearing For Those Who are Deaf In One Ear
Telemedicine Is Expanding But Faces Obstacles

MERS technologyI first told you about the good work of Versus Technology back in January of 2011. On HealthBlog and on our on-line video series, Health Tech Today, we discussed how Real Time Location Services (RTLS) technology from Versus was being used to streamline clinical workflow. Their solution combines radio frequency identification (RFID) and infrared (IR) tracking of badges and tags to identify people and equipment. The location and status of all tagged staff and equipment can be monitored on computer screens. Rules-based automation is continuously applied to improve clinical workflow and productivity while reducing patient wait times.

Versus logoSince I last reported on this topic, Versus Technology has continued to innovate and win customers around the country. One of those customers it turns out, is Community Hospital in Munster, Indiana. Yes, that same hospital with the identified and admitted MERS case. Because all hospital staff were wearing Versus RLTS badges, management didn’t have to guess about who had come in contact with the contagious patient. Thanks to RTLS technology from Versus and other tools, it was possible for managers at Community Hospital to know down to the second which staff members had had contact with the MERS infected patient and for how long. With Versus, interactions between all badge-wearing people (patients, staff, visitors, etc.) and tagged equipment are automatically recorded. By using reports generated by a facility’s integrated nurse call system or advanced Exposure Control reports from special analytics software, a facility like Community Hospital can know immediately who, and even what equipment, has been exposed to a contagious patient and to what degree. Such knowledge is essential in determining necessary isolation and monitoring of exposed staff, as well as special cleaning of contaminated equipment. You can learn more here.

This is but one more example of how information communication technology is being used to improve the quality and safety of patient care in hospitals and health facilities around the world. Whether it is MERS today, or another even more dangerous infectious disease down the line, it is comforting to know that technology is making it easier to identify, contain and control whatever might come our way next.

TAGGED:MERS
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

a woman walking on the hallway
6 Easy Healthcare Ways to Sit Less and Move More Every Day
Health
September 9, 2025
Clinical Expertise
Healthcare at a Crossroads: Why Leadership Matters More Than Ever
Global Healthcare
September 9, 2025
travel nurse in north carolina
Balancing Speed and Scope: Choosing the Nursing Degree That Fits Your Goals
Nursing
September 1, 2025
intimacy
How to Keep Intimacy Comfortable as You Age
Relationship and Lifestyle Senior Care
September 1, 2025

You Might also Like

tech use in healthcare
Technology

Harnessing the Power of Technology to Shape the Future of Proactive Health and Disease Diagnostics

July 26, 2023
uber-phone.jpg
eHealthHospital AdministrationMedical InnovationsTechnologyWellness

How Hospitals Are Using Technology to Improve Patient Access to Care

September 21, 2016

HIMSS Moving Forward

February 28, 2012
News

Sinai Hospital to Help NASA Study Effects of Spaceflight on Astronauts

August 7, 2012
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?