People preparing to undergo surgery may worry about the risk of catching much-publicised infections such as MRSA or fret about medics carrying out the wrong operation. But one Birmingham surgeon - tired of continually chasing an inefficient paper trail of charts, checks and records - has come up with the world's first patient tagging system. David Morgan, a consultant ENT surgeon at Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, believes using this tracking system will not only save time but also money, cutting the £350 million paid out in compensation by the NHS. Over the next three months, the plastic hospital wristbands patients wear throughout their stay will be replaced by the new matchbox-sized devices. The patient's location can then be tracked to within yards and their details fed to visual display units in theatres, anaesthetic rooms and waiting areas. Mr Morgan, who has worked at the hospital since 1990, said: "There's always been concerns about matching the patient with the right treatment, such as people with similar names having the wrong operations. "Normally patient records are kept on clipboards and updated by medical staff to indicate what the treatment is, if pre-surgery checks have been done, and whether they have been exposed to any infection. "Surgeons could waste valuable time chasing this information if they were unsure if it had been revised. "But with these tags there will be no way a patient can go to theatre if any such checks have been missed. "This will prevent misidentification and improve communication, as we will be able to check the patient's progress via handheld PDAs." It is hoped the system, if the pilot scheme is successful, will be rolled out nationwide. Mr Morgan, who is also a clinical adviser to the National Patient Safety Agency, said the system will also be able to track patients' exposure to infections. He said: "These can monitor whether a patient has come into contact with infections such as MRSA. If so their data is updated to ensure there is no risk of cross-infection. "This system will save an hour per list of operations on chasing pre-op paperwork. "Also, there are a number of people who have sued the NHS due to having the wrong operation, so this could save the organisation a lot of cash if used nationally." The surgeon worked with two Midland firms to develop the system. Daconi, based in Coventry, produced the wireless network which connects the electronic tags to small computers carried by medical staff. Birmingham firm Intelligent Medical Micro Systems (IMMS) developed the software for the tags, and both firms are funding the £25,000 trial. "If the scheme is a success, the next consideration will be whether the NHS or the Government wants to invest in it. "At the moment the trial is privately funded, so it will probably end around New Year unless additional finance can be secured." The system is currently being used in one ward and two theatres at the hospital. | 
