BREAKTHROUGH
MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY RAISING BAR ON PATIENT SAFETY.
PATIENTS IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA GET THEIR FIRST
GLIMPSE OF THE HOSPITAL OF THE FUTURE AS A HOSPITAL SYSTEM INVESTS $50
MILLION IN BREAKTHROUGH SAFETY TECHNOLOGY.
REMOTE VIDEO AND ELECTRONIC MONITORING WITH PHYSICIAN SPECIALISTS TO KEEP A CLOSER EYE ON CRITICAL CARE PATIENTS 24 HOURS A DAY, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.
A BAR CODE ON EACH PATIENT’S ID BRACELET WILL BE
USED TO MATCH AND MONITOR THE MEDICATION ORDERED BY THE DOCTOR. IT WILL
HELP ENSURE THE RIGHT DOSE OF THE RIGHT MEDICINE IS GIVEN TO THE RIGHT
PATIENT AT THE RIGHT TIME. THE SYSTEM’S AUTOMATIC ALERTS HELP WARN
THE NURSE ABOUT POSSIBLE ALLERGIES OR LOOK-ALIKE/SOUND-ALIKE DRUGS.
STORY SUMMARY:
Sutter Health is investing
$50 million to provide physician specialists in its 26 hospitals with
tools that will enable them to keep an even closer eye on critical care
patients 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The solution uses telemedicine
technology – early warning software with advanced video and electronic
monitoring – to connect off-site critical care specialists to ICU
patients. In the new wired ICU, vital signs and laboratory data from the
sickest hospital patients will be fed to on-site doctors and nurse stations
as well as a new, specially equipped electronic ICU (eICU™). The
eICU serves as a high-tech and centralized patient safety net with additional,
full-time physician specialists and critical care nurses. The critical
care support team adds another set of watchful eyes, constantly checking
early warning indicators for vital sign changes and looking for any sign
of trouble. Medical experts say this extra layer of monitoring will help
save lives.
The number of drugs has grown 500 percent in the past decade. Today, more than 17,000 trade and generic pharmaceuticals are marketed in North America. Another initiative is applying advanced technology to administer patient medications at the bedside. Before administering medications, nurses and other caregivers will scan a bar code imprinted on the patient's armband, and on the medication, using a hand-held device. A bedside computer will then "read" these barcodes into a software application that uses expert databases to provide patient-specific information. The system helps ensure the right dose of the right medicine is given to the right patient at the right time. It also alerts the clinician to possible allergies, and look-alike/sound-alike or high-risk drugs.
The network’s initiatives
address key goals set by the Leapfrog Group, a national consortium of
major employers that is encouraging hospitals to adopt specific practices
to improve health care quality and service. Composed of more than 100
public and private organizations that provide health care benefits, the
Leapfrog Group works with medical experts throughout the U.S. to identify
problems and propose solutions that it believes will improve hospital
systems that could break down and harm patients. Representing about 32
million health care consumers in all 50 states, Leapfrog provides important
information and solutions for consumers and health care providers.
SOUNDBITES:
VIDEO PROVIDED BY: Sutter Health