Beacon Hospital to become Ireland’s first paperless hospital

Sláinte Healthcare has signed a multimillion-euro deal with the Beacon Hospital in Dublin that will see it become Ireland's first digital, paperless hospital.

The Irish healthcare technology company will instal its electronic medical record software Vitro in the hospital, enabling staff to manage its 100,000 patients per annum electronically.

Sláinte Healthcare chief executive Andrew Murphy said the deal was valued at between €3 million and €4.5 million, adding the system would capture all new information electronically. "It will scan historical charts and paper files as necessary," he said.

He said the system had been rolled in facilities in Australia and the United Arab Emirates, as well as through the charity Operation Smile, which uses it in 56 countries.

Beacon Hospital chief executive Michael Cullen said: "Moving all our patients' clinical charting from paper to tablets gives caregivers access to their patients' records, regardless of clinician or patient location. It allows them to move to electronic prescriptions and to analyse data."

Visibility and control

He said electronic medical records would give patients and their clinicians “visibility and control” of their healthcare outside of the hospital.

“Our vision for our patients and their families, where patients have self-service access to their records and informed oversight of their own healthcare circumstances, is part of our promise to place the patient at the centre of our care model,” he added.

Mr Murphy said Sláinte expected to employ 30-40 more people over the next six to eight months.