Donors connect vital signs monitors directly to patient charts

Every shift, nurses measure their patients’ vital signs multiple times using a specialized vital signs monitor. Blood pressure, temperature, oxygen saturation and heart-rate – all important measures which tell the team how a patient is doing. The results can affect medication and treatment decisions.

In the last few months, a donor-funded system which connects the vital signs monitors directly to patient charts went live. Now, vital signs are automatically uploaded to the patient’s Electronic Health Record (EHR) as soon as they are taken.

The old way of recording vital signs was to hand-write them on a piece of paper that would remain in the nurse’s pocket until they had time to chart them. Often this would not happen for hours because of the busy nature of their day, and when it did happen, nurses could spend more than half an hour to complete all the charting.

Nurses and physicians are loving this new system for the efficiency and ease that it brings to their ability to deliver care to their patients. Lesley Lindsay, RN, shares that “the connectivity software equips nurses with the resources and technology needed to improve the quality of patient care and experience.”

Physicians appreciate that they no longer have to track down the nurses for vitals since they are now available to them in real-time in the patient’s chart, moments after they are taken. In fact, the Information is available immediately to all of a patient’s healthcare team.

Nurses enjoy using the new system for the time it saves them…time they can spend at the bedside.

“I feel I can be more present for my patients without worrying about the small stack of vitals in my pocket that I need to chart” Lesley added.

This system also contributes to patient safety because the risk of error due to the transfer of information from the vital signs monitors to hand written notes to charts is eliminated.

Necessary upgrades to equipment such as the vital signs connectivity system are made possible through the generosity of our caring donors like you. What a difference our donors make.