Siemens Healthineers infection control system reduce occurrences of infection at KRH Klinikum Siloah in the Hannover region

• Infection control system (ICS) fight occurrences of infection and improve hospital hygiene 
• Additional navigation elevates service for patients and visitors 
• Siemens Healthineers and KRH collaborate in solution design

Klinikum Region Hannover (KRH) has commissioned Siemens Healthineers to install infection control system (ICS) at the Klinikum Siloah hospital. The ICS aims to effectively tackle nosocomial infections and increase patient and employee safety. The systems detect and record potential pathogen sources and trigger automated processes to take the right measures at the right time. Given the high costs and the mortality rate caused by nosocomial infections in Germany and the European Union, introducing the ICS is a crucial step toward improving hospital hygiene and reducing the strain on the healthcare system. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) estimates that there were around 600,000 nosocomial infections in Germany in 2019, leading to around 20,000 deaths. In 2021, around 5,000,000 people worldwide died due to and with infections caused by multi-resistant germs; these make up a large proportion of nosocomial infections. The World Health Organization (WHO) expects this number to double by 2050. 

ICS is a cloud-based solution, compliant with data protection regulations. It enables the causes of infection sites to be identified rapidly, reduces personnel absences, and provides efficient contact tracing, thereby increasing patient safety. The intelligent navigation solution allows employees, patients and visitors to avoid marked zones and head straight for “points of interest.” This mobile navigation application helps patients and visitors to find their way more easily and reach their destination on time, minimizing delays in operating theaters, radiology, and cardiology, for example. 

Siemens Healthineers developed the solution concept in close collaboration with experts from KRH, building upon a long-term partnership involving scientific project support. The ICS solution works with various hardware and software components, some of which were sourced from partner companies. ICS is based on RealTime Location Solution (RTLS) architecture that uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) 5.0 and RFID technology to enable people and objects to be located and contacts to be documented. 

The Infection Control Team (ICT) at KRH Klinikum Siloah plays a central role in the ICS solution by monitoring suspected cases and confirmed infections and initiating appropriate measures. The ICS solution also supports the optimization of work processes and offers extensive data analyses to improve transparency, quality, and safety at the hospital. 

Successful implementation of the ICS solution requires targeted installation of the infrastructure, a carefully designed implementation phase, and intensive change management. Siemens Healthineers acts as a holistic partner, supporting KRH Klinikum Siloah during consulting, project planning, and implementation. Siemens Healthineers also supports continuous monitoring of the occurrence of infection and advises on workflow optimization. KRH Klinikum Siloah has 564 beds, 12 specialist departments, and provides care for more than 24,000 inpatients every year. The introduction of the ICS solution at KRH Klinikum Siloah is a flagship project for the hospital. Once the implementation phase is successfully completed, KRH will consider rolling out the system to further sites. KRH GmbH currently operates facilities at ten locations in the Hannover region in addition to KRH Klinikum Siloah. These are KRH Klinikum Agnes Karll in Laatzen, KRH Klinikum in Lehrte, KRH Klinikum Nordstadt, KRH Psychiatrie in Langenhagen, KRH Klinikum in Großburgwedel, KRH Klinikum in Neustadt am Rübenberge, KRH Klinikum Robert Koch in Gehrden, KRH Geriatrie in Langenhagen, and KRH Psychiatrie in Wunstorf.