Timing in the world of health care is critical. So, too, is the monitoring of patient healthcare and their minute-to-minute vital sign status. Against that backdrop, Lakeland Health is dramatically upgrading patient monitoring through an agreement they’ve achieved with Royal Phillips for that firm’s IntelliVue Guardian Solution.
Royal Philips is a global leader in health technology, and Lakeland Health has signed on to integrate the Philips IntelliVue Guardian Solution with automated Early Warning Scoring (EWS) at all three of the Lakeland’s hospitals in Michigan’s Great Southwest.
The IntelliVue Guardian Solution contains software and intelligent clinical decision algorithms allowing caregivers to accurately obtain vital signs and seamlessly integrate validated patient data directly to the EHR – reducing human errors and saving time.
Forty percent of unanticipated hospital deaths happen on the General Ward, where it’s hard to predict which patients to watch closely. Obtaining vital signs in real-time using EWS allows clinicians to identify subtle signs of deterioration in a patient’s condition at the point of care, hours before a potential adverse event can occur. Since Lakeland Health first implemented Philips patient monitoring technology in June 2016, the amount of rapid responses has increased significantly, with the number of cardiac and respiratory arrests decreasing by approximately 56-percent.
Arthur Bairagee is Chief Nursing Informatics Officers for Lakeland Health. He tells us, “Patient safety with zero harm is our number one goal at Lakeland.” He adds, “The IntelliVue Guardian Solution has changed the way we work by eliminating potential transcription errors and also providing caregivers immediate access to patients’ vital signs reducing delays in treatment time.” Bairagee says, “With the help of the Guardian Solution, caregivers are immediately notified of changes in a patient’s vital signs which may put them at risk for conditions such as sepsis, cardiac arrest, or respiratory failure. Frequent monitoring with automated EWS allows caregivers and Rapid Response teams to respond earlier – in enough time to make a difference.”
At Royal Philips, Felix Baader is the Business Leader fro Patient Monitoring. Baader says, “Through the IntelliVue Guardian Solution, we are aiming to change how clinicians work by providing them with the information they need at the moment they need it in order to intervene quickly.” He adds, “Having automated tools that provide a comprehensive view into a patient’s condition not only aids in identifying potential patient deterioration earlier, but it also enhances workflow efficiencies by simplifying the medical documentation process and better utilizing limited staff resources.”
The latest version of Philips IntelliVue Guardian Software has been available in countries requiring the CE Marking since October 2016, and available in the U.S. since early 2017. For additional information on Philips’ advanced patient monitoring solutions, you can visit www.usa.philips.com/healthcare/solutions/patient-monitoring.
