Inova Health System First In the Washington Area to Introduce High-Tech 'Virtual' Patient Monitoring

Falls Church, VA - A nurse on the ICU is taking care of a patient, when the oxygen saturation levels of another patient in a nearby room suddenly drop. Something's wrong, but a crisis is averted when a second critical care specialist sees the problem and calls the bedside nurse back to the room. The patient is cared for quickly, avoiding the possible risk of respiratory arrest. The second set of eyes belongs to a critical care nurse in a building, miles away.

That's the power of the eICU® enVision technology. This cutting-edge technology features round-the-clock, real-time audio and video monitoring of ICU patients, all from one central command center miles away from the hospital. Inova Health System is the first hospital in the Washington, DC metropolitan area to invest in this state-of-the-art safety system. The eICU enVision care team, consisting of critical care physicians and nurses, conducts virtual rounds on patients via a secured, wireless transfer provided by Verizon.

The eICU enVision team monitors vital signs, test results, lab reports, medications and other important medical information with real time updates. Two-way communication technology allows the team to talk and, when needed, visually interact with the patient and family members, as well as the bedside care team. In addition, early warning software alerts them to potential problems, allowing the eICU enVision staff to work with the beside care team to intervene sooner on the patient's behalf.

"The camera is so sophisticated, I can use it for something as delicate as assessing a patient's pupils," says Susan Rogers, RN, a critical care nurse who works both at the bedside and as part of the eICU enVision care team. "This is high-tech care that still connects us to our patients on a personal level.

They smile, wave and talk to the camera, just like we're right there in the room." Studies show that eICU is a lifesaving technology. AJanuary 2004 study in Critical Care Magazine (Crit Care Med 2004:31-38) found that the eICU/intensivist staffing model reduced hospital mortality for ICU patients by 25 percent and reduced the average patient ICU length of stay by 17 percent. The study also cites earlier patient care interventions, enabled by the eICU system, as the key to reducing major health complications in critically ill patients. "

The eICU enVision care team identified a patient who was attempting to remove a vital line while I was attending to a patient in another room," says Richard Ngamo, RN, Inova Alexandria Hospital. "The team helped me to act quickly and prevent the patient from possibly harming himself, worsening his condition and lengthening his stay in the ICU." "As the leader of the eICU enVision care team, it is our role to provide support to the bedside care team," says Elizabeth Cowboy, MD, medical director, eICU enVision.

"We are an adjunct to the critical care physicians and nurses and never meant to be a replacement to their excellent care." Baltimore-based VISICU Inc., created the eICU system to tackle three major problems: the nationwide shortage of critical care physicians, the shrinking number of nurses, and the need for added safety measures for critically illpatients. Across the nation, there are only 6,000 intensivists actively practicing in the United States, leaving less than 15 percent of the nation's hospital with dedicated intensivist coverage.

In addition to the bedside care team, Inova's off-site teamcurrently cares for 84 patients at Inova Alexandria, Inova Fair Oaks, Inova Fairfax and Inova Mount Vernon hospitals. There are plans to expand the system to all of Inova's 200 ICU beds later this year.

Inova Health System is a not-for-profit health care system based in Northern Virginia consisting of hospitals and other health services including emergency and urgent care centers, home care, nursing homes, mental health and blood donor services, and wellness classes. Governed by a voluntary board of community members, Inova's mission is to provide quality care and improve

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