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New technology increases patient flow, efficiency
St. Joseph’s/Candler is using a new monitoring technology to deliver more efficient care to its patients.
Remote telemetry is becoming popular with hospitals that are adapting patient monitoring systems to provide high-quality care in a more cost-effective manner, according to SpaceLabs HealthCare, the technology’s manufacturer.
Nurses place electrodes and a transmitter on the patient’s chest. The device transmits the patient’s heartbeat or cardiac rhythm into the system resulting in patient surveillance, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
“Many times lung and cardiac go together,” says nurse manager Judy Boykin. “If they’re having trouble with their breathing, they are possibly having trouble with their heart as well.”
Additional flat screens are strategically placed at different points on the 6th floor for the nurses, along with red phones that connect directly to the PCU Monitor Tech. This new flexibility in patient monitoring means a more efficient patient flow, which means more efficient care for the patient.
“My nurses will be learning basic arrhythmia recognition,” says Boykin. “If patients are getting in trouble with their heart or breathing, the nurses will notice ahead of time.”
Patients must have a doctor’s order to be monitored by remote telemetry. With the addition of sixteen transmitters, more patients will have access to this level of service, including those on the pulmonary unit.
