Improved patient care and happier staff with Cortex care coordination platform

Te Nīkau Hospital staff have wholeheartedly welcomed the recent implementation of Cortex, an electronic care coordination platform which works on iPhones, iPads and the web, digitising the patient journey and making it instantly available to all medical staff involved in a patient’s care.

Dr Sam Bartholomew says, “It’s been a great team and transalpine effort to get to where we are today. A significant part of the future of the healthcare we provide is supporting quality, safe and equitable care via digital platforms such as Cortex and FloView. Having access to Cortex enables us to provide the best possible care to our patients – care set in a team-based approach that is transparent and equitable.”

The use of Cortex creates a complete set of clinical records for inpatients at Te Nīkau Hospital and enables transalpine visibility and communication for and between clinicians on the West Coast and in Canterbury hospitals, creating a true shared model of care. It also produces clear and legible notes and enables instant communication and visibility of care plans for clinicians from within the clinical record.

Clinical Nurse Manager Chrysantha Pereira says, “We are finding better patient flow and communication between teams on the general ward, in the critical care unit and with our transalpine colleagues. There is wider visibility of patients’ clinical details and needs to all teams caring for our patients. The Cortex platform allows clinicians to access a timeline of information including clinical notes and tasks that need to be completed, thereby minimising interruptions.”

With Cortex, clinicians add patient notes to the app as they do rounds, save them and sign them off so other staff can access them immediately. This means that staff can see new notes instead of relying on old information.

Sense Medical Clinical Lead Dr. Chris Rumball is thrilled to see the benefits of a seamless solution being realised. “Reducing the friction of interdisciplinary care is one of the key benefits Cortex provides. Seeing this enabled across the physical divide of the Southern Alps is fantastic. We’re super excited to be part of the broader team helping Health New Zealand realise its core health targets.”

Cortex was co-developed by Sense Medical as part of the Canterbury Health System's focus on using technology to improve healthcare for patients and staff. It is used at Christchurch and Burwood Hospitals, Nurse Maude Hospice, Greymouth’s Te Nīkau Hospital, Hawke’s Bay Hospital, and was also recently implemented at Ashburton Hospital.