DOTmed: Tell us about this purchase. New alert provides early detection of potentially septic patients by continuously monitoring key EMR clinical data.
Sepsis is a life-threatening disease that arises when the body’s response to infection injures its own tissue and organs. It affects nearly 750,000 Americans each year, and every case of sepsis adds significant cost and days to hospital length of stay.
Now, Florida Hospital Zephyrhills has a Sepsis Alert which provides early detection of potentially septic patients by continuously monitoring key electronic medical record (EMR) clinical data for systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and organ dysfunction patterns. Within the EMR, the data is collected, extracted and analyzed for potential risk, and if a risk is identified, an alert notifies the clinician to perform additional tests.
"Recognition of potentially septic patterns within the first few hours of their appearance is vital to the survival of the patient. Since the signs can be subtle, automated monitoring of key elements can help identify problems hours earlier," said Doug Duffield, President and CEO of Florida Hospital Zephyrhills.
The Sepsis Alert, used in the Emergency Department and on inpatient units, will put an alert on the patient’s chart if the patient shows three signs of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) or two signs of SIRS plus one sign of organ dysfunction.
In addition to finding sepsis early, other benefits of the alert include notifying clinicians to other serious conditions.
DOTmed: Any final thoughts? "The Sepsis Alert is a great example of how utilizing electronic medical records can improve patient safety and benefit both patients and clinicians," said Monica Wills, Administrative Director of Clinical Informatics and Compliance for Florida Hospital Zephyrhills.
