St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center, a 431-bed facility in Syracuse, N.Y., on Aug. 27, helped its neighbor Welch Allyn, a global manufacturer of medical diagnostic equipment headquartered in Skaneateles Falls, N.Y., unveil what they both billed as a cure for vital sign documentation.
St. Joseph's served as a beta test site for the Welch Allyn electronic documentation system and saw immediate results after implementing the Connex EVD System. AnneMarie Czyz, chief nursing officer at St. Joseph's, said the hospital has experienced an improved documentation workflow, which has translated in more time spent with the patients. The hospital has also decreased the potential for errors, she said.
"The Connex EVD System gave our facility tangible results that really maximized our EMR investment," Czyz said. "It helped us not only meet regulatory standards but also the time spent documenting vitals decreased by about 50 percent and errors decreased by about 75 percent. This solution is making it possible to provide higher-quality patient care and safety, the way it should be."
By converging all aspects of vital signs documentation into one system, including patient data capture and wireless transfer to an EMR, medical charting and documentation errors are reduced thereby improving clinical decision-making and patient outcomes, say Welch Allyn executives.
Without a digital solution, studies have shown that 10,000 omission and/or transcription errors can occur per year for a typical 200-bed facility; 8,000 hours were wasted with manual vital sign documentation; and more than $250,000 was lost in productivity due to lack of access to vitals.
The Welch Allyn Connex Electronic Vitals Documentation (EVD) System provides clinicians in non-critical care settings with immediate access to accurate vital signs anytime, anywhere. It includes the Connex Vital Signs Monitor, Accessory Cable Management Stand, Connex VM Software, and the new Welch Allyn Partners in Care Services program that provides personalized support and installation.
"Every day there are challenges within acute care facilities, but these should not include inaccuracy of patient data, a lack of access to that data, or low efficiency with collecting vitals," said Dave Perkins, senior category manager, vital signs, at Welch Allyn.
"The Connex EVD System provides an end-to-end solution to these problems. It has multiple components to ensure satisfaction for not only the clinicians but also the patients who are now receiving more efficient care," Perkins said.
