Scotland launches £1.5m superbug IT

Nicola Sturgeon said that pilots with the systems have proved successful and they will now be rolled out across Scotland, at a cost of £1.5m. The systems were piloted in four health board areas: Lothian, Fife, Tayside and Grampian. The Scottish Government said an evaluation of the pilots demonstrated that upgraded and integrated bed management and infection control IT systems can reduce infections. "This is about making the two systems to control infections and beds talk to each other," a spokesperson for the Scottish Government told SmartHealthcare.com. "For example if a patient in ward two has C. difficile, you can track where they have been. And if someone has an infection you may want to treat them in isolation, but they can be treated with other patients. The IT can help to organise the co-treatment of patients with the same infection." Sturgeon said: "Using the latest IT systems and ensuring these are fully integrated will allow health boards to better manage their beds to reduce the risk of infections spreading." She added: "I am confident that these measures will contribute to further reduced infection rates." Scotland's hospitals boards are being asked to reduce infection rates by at least 50% among people over 65 by the end of March 2011. A new and more stringent target for tackling C. difficile is also being introduced.