The best software for quality and risk management.In a clinical laboratory, many tests are performed. It goes without saying that quality management is crucial here – as it is in the clinical laboratory of az Vesalius in Tongeren. Clinical biologist Bram Ngô and research assistant Joris Comhair are both responsible for quality and tell more about the ins and outs of the lab.
Joris has worked in the lab since October last year; Bram has been working here for about six years. When he started, he was given the quality manager task of reviewing all processes. Because he found the quality management system relatively rigid and old-fashioned at the time, Bram decided to make a complete tabula rasa and switch to a new system.
“At my previous workplace, we were already working with Iprova (now Zenya). Because I was very content with it, I contacted Infoland again. I was amazed to learn that az Vesalius was already working with the software throughout the hospital. Therefore, we had all the necessary permissions and modules to build our own portal in the lab”.
With the DOC and FLOW modules, Bram first wanted to use Zenya for document management and incident reporting within the laboratory. Then Zenya CHECK was added.
“Zenya DOC works very straightforwardly,” says Bram. “Searching for documents is much more convenient than in our previous system. You have a search bar at the top where you type keywords and get relevant search results. This is a modern way of searching, comparable to Google, and no complex folder structure in which you have to dig around”.
But not only searching is easier in DOC. Entering documents, especially the sharing settings, is also much more practical. “Within a document, you can indicate who is allowed to read which chapters. Before, we had to make a different document for each access, for example, one for nurses and one for maintenance employees. If something changed, we had to remember to change all the versions. Now, thanks to Zenya DOC, we can just work on one version.
Looking something up in Zenya DOC is very simple; it works a bit like Google. So no more outdated folder structure.”
In addition to Zenya DOC, the laboratory works with Zenya FLOW as a reporting system. “FLOW really offers the biggest, most visible improvement over our previous system”, says Bram. “The best part is that you can build many things yourself, without knowing any programming language. No method is forced upon you. We can put the flows together completely the way our lab wants to work with them.
This way, Bram and Joris could build their reporting system very targeted and practically, which is why it is used so much more now. “The previous system was much more cumbersome for users. For example, they had to choose whether it was an incident report or a suggestion, a step that often went wrong. Now, this division is incorporated into the underlying system. Based on dynamic questionnaires, users automatically enter a suggestion or incident flow”.
Our previous system was very cumbersome to use. Zenya FLOW is much simpler. As a result, we now receive many more reports, and that is ultimately the goal: to know what is going on on the shop floor.”
To carry out audits and make supplier assessments, the clinical laboratory uses Zenya CHECK. “For the audits, we added all ISO standards of BELAC ourselves into the software. For each standard, you can indicate whether or not it is in order and has been checked. The handy thing is that you can automatically pull a report from this. That way, you can immediately see which standards have been checked for a particular workstation, for example, and which still need to be done.
Every year, the lab suppliers must also be assessed. Again, Zenya CHECK helps to do that efficiently. “We have a questionnaire for each supplier. You can give each question a score and set the action linked to a specific score. Less than three stars, for example, means that a follow-up action must be linked to it, such as contacting the supplier or terminating the contract. This message is automatically sent to the right person.
The most convenient thing about Zenya CHECK is that you can automatically pull reports. You hardly have to do anything yourself for this.”
Zenya CHECK also helps employees not to forget the supplier reviews. The lab linked the questionnaires to task schedules so that notifications are sent out each time.
These task schedules are used for all sorts of tasks and ensure that every employee in the lab knows what is expected of them. “We never know in advance who will be at which workstation. That’s why we created teams based on the workstations we have. We assigned specific tasks to each team, such as maintenance of a piece of equipment every so often. The person who is on the machine at that time then receives a notification.
After completion of the task, it can be ticked off. Are there any uncompleted tasks that have passed their date? Then the quality managers will automatically receive a notification.
We manage the devices in the lab via a digital card box. We can also link the cards to other Zenya modules, which is super convenient!”
The equipment management in the lab is done via a digital card index centrally available via Zenya. The various Zenya modules can then be linked to this card index box. “We can create cards per device in the electronic card index box. We choose which data needs to be entered, and we can use the cards in all the Zenya modules,” says Bram. He finds this a huge advantage of the software. For example, the card for a particular device can be linked to a task schedule for its maintenance, and such a card can also be integrated into a document (such as a procedure). Furthermore, if a new device is added, this is also immediately given a place in the card index.
“Recently, we discovered something new that I am actually really excited about,” laughs Bram. “You can have a QR code generated in Zenya for each document and each card. You can print the QR code and stick it on a device, and by scanning the code with a tablet or smartphone, you immediately get the right information about the method of use, for example”.
“We have placed a QR code on two devices and will undoubtedly expand this further. We have also started to make instruction videos for complicated devices whose actions are more difficult to describe. For example, how to maintain a device, switch it on and off, and open it. Visually, this is often much clearer and more fun, and we can also choose who can open the document behind the QR code. We never thought we would use Zenya in this way”
I am a fan of the web-based aspect of Zenya. I can log in anywhere, and the system is always up to date.”
Bram is succinct about the implementation of Zenya. “Everything went very smoothly because I already knew the system from my previous employer. Compared to other tools, Zenya is really high-performing”. Joris adds: “If we have a question or a technical problem, we quickly get the necessary support from Infoland. Even if we have suggestions for things to improve, they always listen and see what they can do.
“Our core business, what we really like to do, is conducting research, reporting results and informing doctors. All these other things are pretty much compulsory. But thanks to Zenya, these additional tasks are performed smoothly and efficiently. I am also a real fan of the web-based aspect of Zenya,” says Bram. “Everything runs in the cloud; no one has to download separate programmes. I can also log in effortlessly at home, and updates always go very smoothly. The system never becomes obsolete and is always up-to-date. What can I say… We are big fans!”
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