 |
 |
|
July / September 2004
NEW PRODUCTS & SERVICES
TRENDS
MR Infusion System Holds
Small-Volume Syringes, Multiple Fluids
Medrad's Continuum MR-Compatible Infusion System now offers a syringe holder that holds up to three standard syringes ranging in size from 20 to 60 ml, making it possible to deliver small volumes of cardiac stress agents, IV sedatives, and other critical medications during an MR scanning procedure. The Syringe Holder also enables critically ill patients to receive fluids from multiple syringes and IV bags at the same time, a unique feature that increases the versatility of the infusion system.
"To date, delivering small, syringe-sized doses of medication during an MR procedure has been problematic. Patients were either removed from their medications, or the nurse or anesthesiologist had to create a makeshift holder for multiple syringes," according to Product Manager Shonda Butler. "The innovative design of the Syringe Holder provides the option of conveniently and safely keeping a patient on medications, regardless of fluid container, for the duration of the scan."
Continuum was the first infusion system compatible with the magnetic resonance environment. Introduced by Medrad in 2002, it solved the longstanding problem of managing MRI patients on infusion therapy, who historically would either be removed from the medication or remain connected to a non-MR compatible infusion pump outside the scanner room. Two software enhancements were added in 2003 to automatically calculate and display the real-time required flow rate and program flow rate limits.
The syringe holder is now standard on all new orders of Continuum in the U.S. and Europe. Current Continuum customers can request a Syringe Holder by contacting their local sales representative, or by calling 1-800-MEDRAD1 (U.S.) or 412-767-2400 (Europe).
Wireless Management
System Aids Homecare
| |
 |
|
Heart Alert Inc., a clinical information management company based in Georgia, has incorporated new, easy-to-use wireless transtelephonic devices into a disease management process that it is providing to the homecare industry. The devices are integrated with the Polytel System, a Bluetooth product that transmits data wirelessly from a device to the Internet. The Polytel System is a product of Polymap Wireless (www.polymapwireless.com), a design and developer of wireless telemetry products based in Tucson, Arizona.
Heart Alert's system is designed to intervene with disease exacerbations and/or disease progression. These interventions are based on changes in clinical conditions and early recognition of symptoms through daily physiological data collection and scheduled patient encounters. Physicians receive trended weekly reports that provide information on patient status. The PolytelTM integrated devices are provided to coordinate the flow of objective clinical data between the patient and the medical staff.
Patients receive "traditional" education on compliance and behavior modification, but if the data that is transmitted is outside of prescribed parameters, it prompts a call from a specialized nurse who then takes the patient through an assessment, which leads to either an educational intervention or clinical intervention. Clinical interventions include:
- Management of diuretics to maintain proper fluid balance.
- Maximizing the use of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE-I) and BETA-blockers for optimizing control of blood pressure and disease progression.
- Coordinating additional care needs for management of co-morbidities.
According to Rick Fleeharty, vice president of business development for Heart Alert, the Polymap Wireless device provides for wireless transmission of the patient's data without being tethered to a restricted space. "The transmission range of nearly 30 feet will allow our patients to place their collection devices in areas of convenience rather than simply close to a telephone outlet. Many of our patients are of Medicare age, in most cases not technically efficient, and may have difficulty in hooking up their monitoring equipment. The Polymap Wireless setup is very simple, and simplicity is a critical factor when assuring compliance in this aging population. We look forward to implementation of this wireless technology to assist our staff with some of our more difficult-to-manage patients."
Patient Safety Concerns
Drive Use of Mobile Computing
Spyglass Consulting Group (www.spyglass-consulting.com) of Menlo Park, California, recently announced the results of a comprehensive market survey on mobile computing usage among nurses. Spyglass interviewed 100 nursing professionals nationwide about how they are using mobile computing solutions at bedside. The survey participants represented a broad range of nursing specialties, institution sizes, and varying levels of technical competence. The in-depth telephone interviews were conducted over a 3-month period starting in March 2004.
"Nurses represent the largest healthcare group in the U.S. They are a scarce resource working in high-stress, high-risk, and data-intensive environments that are dominated by paper-based processes and inefficient workflows. Mobile computing can improve nursing productivity and efficiency, increase patient safety, and reduce the risk of medical errors," according to Gregg Malkary, managing director of Spyglass Consulting Group.
Patient safety concerns have driven 56% of the healthcare organizations represented in the survey to implement departmental initiatives that include mobile computer carts. These carts enable nurses to:
- Generate structured clinical documentation.
- Automate safety checks and procedures through bar code technology.
- Access information on-demand.
- Automate the collection of vital-sign data.
- Facilitate real-time communications among all care team members.
- Practice evidence-based nursing.
While an increasing number of healthcare organizations are implementing mobile nursing solutions, significant challenges remain:
- Clinical adoption of automated processes.
- Scarcity of quality products for nursing.
- Low priority at healthcare institutions for automated nursing processes.
- Lack of funding.
Handheld Computing Software Automates Specimen Collection
and Labeling
Misys Healthcare Systems (www.misyshealthcare.com), Raleigh, North Carolina, has announced the availability of Misys Laboratory Collection Manager, a clinical lab software application that uses handheld technology devices to assist healthcare professionals in automating specimen collection and printing labels at the bedside. The result is increased accuracy of patient identification, specimen data entry, and tube labeling at the point-of-care, leading to improved outcomes, reduced errors, and enhanced patient safety.
ThedaCareTM, an integrated delivery network serving Northeastern Wisconsin, is among the first Misys customers to use Collection Manager in its daily laboratory workflow. "Our goal is to reduce overall errors in our health system by 90% this year, with a special emphasis on reducing specimen handling errors," said Linda Mirkes, laboratory system manager at ThedaCare.
Two ThedaCare facilities, Appleton Medical Center and Theda Clark Medical Center, have been rated among the "100 Top Hospitals" by Solucient, Inc. Appleton Medical Center and Appleton Heart Institute are also rated among the "100 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals." ThedaCare has also been named one of the nation's "100 Most Wired" health systems.
In 2003, ThedaCare's 160-bed Appleton Medical Center (AMC) in Appleton, Wis., re-centralized its specimen collection process to support ThedaCare's patient safety initiative and reassigned specimen collection historically performed by nursing to its phlebotomy team in the laboratory. One of three ThedaCare hospitals, AMC began using Collection Manager in May 2004.
AMC's phlebotomists currently use Collection Manager via a wireless-compatible personal digital assistant (PDA) device such as the Symbol PPT 8846 with a built-in barcode scanner that connects to a portable printer. The healthcare professional positively identifies the patient by scanning the identification wristband and then collects the patient's specimen at the bedside. This ensures that the right specimen is drawn from the right patient and the right print label is applied to the specimen tube.
"This new tool enhances our ability to provide high-quality care to our patients, and the staff especially likes the ease of identifying the patient and printing labels for tubes at the bedside," said Mirkes. "The wireless handheld connection also enables Collection Manager to work in tandem with Misys Laboratory from any location in the hospital."
Appleton Medical Center is using Collection Manager for other lab-specific tasks such as uploading data to print specimen collection lists per floor or per room. Collection Manager has a password-protected security feature that "time stamps" or documents the hospital employee collecting the specimen and when the collection occurs. Added Mirkes, "Collection Manager captures and archives this data to Misys Laboratory as well as additional comments about the actual collection, which are both pertinent to the laboratory staff for performance testing."
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
