Clínica de Girona: unified communications to transform patient care

Getronics is working with Spanish healthcare provider Clínica de Girona to introduce innovative new technology to its new hospital. The unified communications system is transforming care and improving patient outcomes.

• ​120 in-patient beds 
• ​eight intelligent, high-definition operating rooms 
• ​three delivery rooms and three for endoscopy
• ​eight boxes in the intensive care unit (ICU) and ten emergency boxes 
• ​a day hospital area
• oncology, and pain medicine, with 20 individual boxes
• ​a minor outpatient surgery room 
• ​hemodialysis rooms

Behind the scenes, patients are supported by various services, including permanent diagnostic imaging, clinical analysis, and pathological anatomy services. 

A comprehensive communication system

Designing the new building has been a great challenge but presents a unique opportunity for Clínica de Girona to modernise its communication systems – and they selected Getronics as their partner. 

Clínica de Girona wanted to move from disparate communication systems to a comprehensive solution.

Within the new facility, innovative IP-based communications were needed to streamline hospital processes and improve clinical diagnosis and treatment. The key is providing clinicians with the right information at the right time, empowering them to make the best decisions for every patient.

What Getronics did

1. Communications that power clinical decision-making

In the bustling Clínica de Girona hospital, agency staff and external contractors work alongside employees, sharing information and insights to improve diagnosis and treatment.  Clinicians at Clínica de Girona use a range of tools, technologies, and communication systems to deliver patient care, but the existing system was slow and inefficient. 

The challenge for Getronics was to develop an integrated communications platform that maintains an individual’s operation freedom but integrates them into the core system.

Getronics’ solution was to introduce a state-of-the-art telephony platform, the NEC SV9500, to power communication and collaboration. 

The platform integrates the management and automation of hospital processes, providing essential information to clinicians when needed. 

The new solution transforms a confusing tangle of hardware devices and cables into an easily accessible software application. The system is scalable, making it easy to add functionality and integrate new systems and services.

We call it liquid telephony, and it’s at the heart of transforming patient care at Clínica de Girona.

2. Unified communications throughout the clinic

Clinicians use standard processes when treating patients, but detailed information which was spread across various systems. Getronics’ solution was to unify communications processes, giving instant access to those in the clinic.

Clinicians can now access crucial data on processes in a single place. The system covers all critical communication processes, including patient care and nursing. Access to protocols ensures that procedures are followed in a medical emergency, such as a stroke, heart attack or a patient requiring CPR.

Clinicians aren’t stuck to a desk but need information on the move. So, we built the platform using wireless IP DECT technology. As well as enabling clinicians to access the information they need wherever they are, installation costs are lower when compared to traditional systems. 

3. Robust security

Any system failure could threaten patients’ lives, so we built on the strongest foundations. As a result, our engineers have developed a system that’s guaranteed to deliver an incredible 99.999% of uptime.

4. Controlling cost-centres

Getronics’ solution converts telephony into an application enabling Clinica de Girona to capture it for other applications. 

The system automatically calculates costs and enables each department to be billed based on usage, not estimates and guesswork.

Delivering impact from day one

Getronics has worked closely with Clinica de Girona to ensure the system and solution are effective from the minute the clinic opened for patients. We delivered the new communication system on time and within budget.

The new communications system:

• includes over 600 extensions and fixed IP terminals connected and IP DECT wireless solution supporting 100 healthcare professionals
• provides a secure connection to the public network via IP link SIP standard
• delivers access to applications for the patient care centre and unified communications
• supports secure remote working
• enables smart processing and the automation of communication protocols for emergencies and medical processes
• ensures accurate budget management and control applications.

Future-proofing patient care

The newly opened Clínica de Girona is a genuine 21st-century hospital. It’s built to the highest standards and incorporates the latest technologies to improve the patient experience and deliver the best outcomes.

The new integrated communications solution, designed and delivered by Getronics, will ensure its ability to meet its challenges in the coming decades. 

Clinicians and patients at the new hospital benefit from:

1. A single platform for multiple applications and communication protocols, connecting hybrid systems of all technologies.
2. Integrating different systems and processes under a single management centre.
3. Alarms and alerts assigned to specific business processes, including emergencies with medical action protocols.
4. Wireless technology enables easier communication between clinicians within the hospital.
5. Data can help accurately allocate costs and resources efficiently. 
6. The IP solution enables unified management while giving operational independence to third parties.

Getronics and the Clínica de Girona continue to work together to deliver life-changing innovations.