Solution Designed Specifically for Med/Surg Floors Addresses Unmet Patient Surveillance Needs in Hospitals

Welch Allyn, a leading medical diagnostic device company that delivers pragmatic innovation at the point of care to improve patient safety, has introduced the industry’s most comprehensive clinical surveillance system designed specifically for the medical/surgical (med/surg) environment.  Enabled through a unique set of medical device partnerships, this solution expands the capabilities of traditional intermittent vital signs systems providing effective tools for the clinical staff on med/surg floors to help them monitor and identify early warning signs of potential patient deterioration thereby enhancing patient safety.

Now available in the United States and select international markets, the Welch Allyn Connex® Clinical Surveillance System (CSS) is the centerpiece of the company’s objective to optimize care on med/surg floors by enabling proactive, cost-effective care to beds outside the intensive care unit (ICU).  Building upon Welch Allyn’s market leadership position in vital signs systems, the Connex CSS is designed to electronically capture and document vitals from the bedside directly to the electronic medical record (EMR) and alert clinicians to the risk of significant adverse events that may occur in hospitals, including issues around failure to rescue, respiratory failure, falls, hospital acquired pressure ulcers, and cardiopulmonary arrests.

The new Connex CSS system benefits from the integration of three additional monitoring parameters—all designed to help in avoiding adverse events—into the Welch Allyn Connex® Vital Signs Monitor (CVSM) in addition to traditional automated measurements such as pulse rate, blood pressure, temperature and pulse oximetry.  The Connex® CSS solution offers acoustic respiration from Masimo (NASDAQ: MASI); Microstream® end-tidal carbon dioxide technology from Covidien (NYSE: COV); and contact-free motion, heart rate and respiratory rate monitoring from EarlySense.

“As hospitals struggle to remain competitive in the new healthcare system, they’ll need every advantage to provide better patient care at a lower cost,” said Doug Linquest, senior vice president, Vital Signs Business Unit at Welch Allyn.  “The pressure on clinicians will only escalate as new healthcare rules make the need to quickly identify changes in patient health even more important. Surveillance solutions like the Connex CSS, which is designed to fit within the workflow of med/surg units, can assist clinicians in meeting these requirements and have a positive effect on patient care.  Designed specifically for med/surg floors, our new solution can help clinicians anticipate the worsening of an existing condition or the appearance of a new one—not just from within the patient’s room, but from a central monitoring station or even on a mobile phone.”

The system also includes a central station for remote viewing of patient status and alarm notification capabilities to deliver critical patient alarms where and when staff need them.  The solution leverages Welch Allyn’s extensive EMR partnerships to enable connectivity and increase access to accurate patient information.  In conjunction with the launch of the Connex CSS, the company has also introduced the Connex® Service Dashboard which provides easy access to equipment status and helps facilitate management of technology.

The majority of patients in an acute care hospital are cared for in med/surg units. Patients within med/surg units span a wide range of age, complexity, acuity and disease state. Due to their size and scope, med/surg units can be operationally challenging to manage.  Today, clinicians on med/surg units must manage the admission, discharge and care for many clinically complex patients throughout a typical work day, at a far lower nurse-to-patient ratio than in higher acuity environments.

The Welch Allyn Connex Clinical Surveillance System has already enabled hospitals to better detect and respond to the onset of patient respiratory deterioration following surgery. Says Kimberlie Bovard, MSN, RN, and Nursing Informatics Specialist with Meadville Medical Center in Meadville, Pennsylvania, “Post-surgical patients receiving pain medication, or suffering from co-morbidities such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Obstructive Sleep Apnea can present a higher risk for respiratory deterioration and life-threatening events.  We needed a solution that would be easy to deploy on med/surg floors, in addition to our existing vital signs interfaces for Meditech, and complement our nursing staff workflows and skill sets.”