Involvement of clinical technologists in the establishment of the Epilepsy Center at Kagoshima University Hospital: Introduction of hospital system construction for clinical laboratory cooperation and equipment upgrades

Abstract

The Kagoshima University Hospital’s Epilepsy Center was established in March 2013 and has been engaged in the comprehensive treatment of epilepsy with the cooperation of the neurosurgery, pediatric, and neuropsychiatry departments, as well as the nursing, laboratory, and social worker departments. The number of electroencephalography examinations has continued to increase since 2013. Clinical technologists have also been responsible for the electrode placement and management of long-term video electroencephalography monitoring since 2015. However, there were problematic differences in the performance of the electroencephalography machines, different methods of examination among the departments, and a lack of a hospital system. We aimed to establish a system for efficient operation and centralized management of the electroencephalography in the hospital during the machine upgrades in March 2022. As a result, we purchased three electroencephalography machines dedicated for electroencephalography and two dedicated for long-term video electroencephalography that could record videos and to standardize their performance. In addition, all the electroencephalography machines were integrated into the physiological function examination department system, and all electroencephalography data and reports could be viewed in the electronic medical records. Furthermore, the number of rooms equipped with LAN terminals in the hospital was increased for the workload required by long-term video electroencephalography, which reduced the laboratory staff’s workload. Unifying the electroencephalography management system and improving the environment of the hospital’s system, were carried out to achieve an efficient operation. In the future, we would like to further improve the present status of the Department of Clinical Laboratory with the medical departments’ cooperation.