The new patient monitoring system, developed by Philips, will streamline the therapy decision-making process and enable optimal use of the working time of qualified medical staff.
Philips Medical Systems, a division of Royal Philips Electronics, has received clearance from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market an innovative patient monitoring system. Using this system, medical personnel employed in intensive care units can display essential information on a monitor installed in the hospital room, such as test results and recommendations from doctors in other hospital departments, without having to interrupt the patient health monitoring process.
The new IntelliVue Patient monitoring system developed by Philips, which utilizes portal technology, should contribute to streamlining the therapy decision-making process and increasing the amount of time dedicated to patient care.
The IntelliVue system using portal technology allows medical personnel to access information stored in various areas of the hospital and securely view and process patient information without having to leave the intensive care unit. It is the first patient monitoring system to offer true integration of various applications on a computer monitor screen without the need for additional network connections, while guaranteeing data protection and prioritization. According to the manufacturer, the IntelliVue system will contribute to reducing delays in the therapy decision-making process and will eliminate the need to supervise the patient data transfer process, indirectly enabling optimal use of medical staff’s time dedicated to patient care.
According to a new report published by RoperASW, nearly half of the medical staff employed in intensive care units who participated in the survey admit that they spend no less than three hours a day retrieving test results from other hospital departments. Doctors therefore spend an average of 46 days a year gathering patient information. Furthermore, 76 percent of doctors noted that test results are often shared with a delay. This negatively affects the efficiency of the therapy decision-making process.
The information technology implemented by Philips is changing the methods of collecting and processing patient information. The IntelliVue system using portal technology eliminates the need for medical personnel to retrieve data, such as test results, medical histories, and X-rays, from multiple systems, by making the necessary materials available directly in the intensive care unit. The system was designed to increase the efficiency of the data processing process and facilitate the location of patient information, which can facilitate diagnosis, and thus increase the effectiveness of the therapeutic process.
It is also worth noting other benefits resulting from the use of this system. Doctors can consult therapeutic methods with patients and their families, as well as with other medical staff, without having to leave the intensive care unit. Such a solution will contribute to improving communication between doctors and patients, and will also facilitate alleviating patients’ concerns regarding their health status. Furthermore, the new system increases the efficiency of communication and consultation among medical staff.
The IntelliVue monitoring system is connected via IT networks to the Philips IntelliVue Information Center – a surveillance system based on integrated applications supporting clinical processes. The information center is part of the IntelliVue product family and acts as a portal supporting the decision-making process, working with monitors installed in intensive care units and telemetry modules. Heart rhythm disorders, such as arrhythmia, can be analyzed by doctors immediately after being recorded. During the transfer of patients to other hospital departments, essential data is continuously recorded, saved, and shared, even from remote locations.
Using the IntelliVue system, hospital staff can access patient data throughout their entire stay in the hospital. When transferring a patient to different hospital departments, patient information is available at all locations within the hospital, as well as at the information center. The IntelliVue system also allows doctors to monitor patient health and consult remotely, for example from home or using an office PC. According to the survey results, 75 percent of doctors believe that the lack of complete patient information at remote locations forces them to return to the hospital for quick intervention, and 80 percent of doctors admit that remote access to this type of information is a significant factor. Free, location- and time-independent access to necessary information makes it easier for doctors to perform their tasks. This is a significant factor, especially in the case of patients staying in intensive care units.
The goal of Philips Medical Systems is to develop secure systems that will allow doctors to access patient information from any location and at any time, using any tools, such as PCs, laptops, or handheld devices. And all this for our health.