Mon General Hospital only third hospital in nation to use new IntelliVue patient monitors

Danielle Repass, RN, a nurse in Mon General’s Cardiac Care Unit (CCU) views patient status information, such as heart  rhythm, heart rate, and blood pressure, on a new Philips IntelliVue MX800 patient monitor. The new monitors, which include an integrated computer, provide CCU staff with clear patient status and clinical information at the bedside. Mon General  is only the third hospital in the nation to use this new monitoring system.

            Staff and patients in the Mon General Hospital Cardiac Care Unit received an early Christmas present this past November  – new Philips IntelliVue MX800 bedside patient monitors.

             “The IntelliVue MX800 features an integrated PC (personal computer) for one intuitive view with clear patient status and relevant clinical information at the bedside,” said Toni Skinner, Mon General Hospital Critical Care Director. “This allows the care team easy access to clinical information and offers the ability for more informed decisions at the point of care.”

            Mon General Hospital is only the third hospital in the nation to use this monitoring system, according to MGH Chief Operating Officer Linda Ollis. The IntelliVue monitors were installed in each patient room on Nov. 26, 2011.

            “The staff can both monitor the patient and document the patient’s care in Cerner, at the bedside,” Ollis said. “The keyboards are wireless and monitor functions can be accessed remotely from any point in the patient’s room.” Cerner is the computer system used at the hospital to track clinical information and patient data.

            Before the new monitors were installed, nurses would perform care and then would have to exit the patient room to document the results in Cerner.

            Included in the new monitor system is the IntelliVue MMS X2. This is a portable monitoring device. “When docked, the information displayed on the portable device is the same as what is viewed on the bedside monitor,” she said. “When detached, the unit becomes a telemetry device and monitor.

            “In the CCU, this unit is sent to the Operating Room and attached to the patient at the conclusion of an operative procedure,” she said. “All information, in this case heart rhythm, rate and arterial blood pressure, is stored and when connected to the monitor at the bedside, transmitted to the patient record.”

            With the portable monitoring device, any need for a patient to be transported outside of the unit can be done seamlessly, without interruption in monitoring data, reducing error and improving patient safety, she said.

             “This upgraded system allows for easier functionality and navigation for the staff,” she said. “Multidisciplinary rounding can be performed with most information available at the click of a mouse at the bedside. Observation is easier and care is better organized for the nursing staff, since they can remain at the patient’s bedside to accomplish their work.”