Comprehensive Monitoring Platform Keeps Patients Safe

A fully integrated suite of monitoring devices improves critical care treatment during in-hospital patient transport.

The Royal Philips (Philips; Amsterdam, The Netherlands) next-generation patient monitoring solution (PMS) is an enterprise-wide system that consists of bedside, transport, mobile, and central station monitoring technology, backed by a new approach to consulting, training, and customer support services. PMS captures a steady stream of detailed patient data from monitors and medical devices, and feeds it securely to the hospital's electronic medical record (EMR) for virtually gap-free patient records from admission to discharge, even during transport.

At the heart of PMS is the IntelliVue X3 dual-purpose portable monitor, controlled via an intuitive smart-phone-style menu. As there is no need for caregivers to change patient cables during transport or at bedside, they can spend less time dealing and taking care of equipment, and more time caring for the patient. Advanced features of the IntelliVue X3 include dual invasive blood pressure reading, built in mainstream CO2, a choice between three SpO2 technologies, and state-of-the-art electrocardiogram (ECG) and arrhythmia detection.

PMS also includes the IntelliVue bedside monitors with Alarm Advisor, a tool that tracks how clinicians respond to alarms and alerts them when set thresholds may be too sensitive, thus helping to prevent caregiver alarm fatigue. All Philips bedside, transport, and mobile monitors share the same look, feel, and interface for improved consistency, reducing complexity and accelerated care by delivering vital signs, waveforms and alarms directly to caregivers for better visibility into a patient's changing condition.

"The healthcare industry is making strides to address clinician pain points, but issues such as lack of complete patient data and exhaustive alarm fatigue still remain,” said Felix Baader, business leader of monitoring and analytics at Philips. “While challenges persist, there is an opportunity to improve and address the barriers that clinicians are currently facing with technology. We are aiming to provide clinicians with smarter alarms and seamless solutions to lower the chances of preventable adverse events, while helping them to improve patient care.”

When patients are transferred from one hospital department to another, clinicians often have to deal with incomplete data records resulting from multiple systems operating independently. As a result, and to provide informed clinical decision support based on complete patient data, hospitals are often required to input data manually, contributing to a higher potential for error, especially when dealing with critical care patients.