It seems as though we are always struggling for balance in our lives. Work or play? Spend or save? Eat that doughnut or save those calories? The same is true for our fitness regimens.Auburn patients can now be monitored by specialists 24 hours a day without leaving their hometown hospital, officials announced Wednesday.
DeKalb Health has struck a partnership with Parkview Hospital to remotely monitor some intensive care unit patients in its eight-bed ICU. The observations supplement – but don’t replace – the care offered by primary doctors, they said.
DeKalb Health spent more than $100,000 to implement that program but doesn’t charge patients for being part of the eICU, said Kirk Ray, DeKalb Health’s president and CEO.
Two beds in the Auburn hospital have been using the patented electronic monitoring technology – called eICU – since late December. Six additional ICU beds have been wired but need to be outfitted with cameras, Ray said.
DeKalb Health is one of several community hospitals in the region that provide basic care. Patients who need open heart surgery, in-patient dialysis, organ transplants or other specialized care are transferred to larger, better equipped facilities, such as Parkview Hospital or Lutheran Hospital.
Remote monitoring allows primary care doctors to treat some patients – such as those with an irregular heart rate that causes low blood pressure – with the guidance of a heart specialist. If the patient’s condition worsens, he can still be transferred to the larger hospital.
Parkview Hospital’s staff monitors six hospitals, with a total of 21 or 22 beds, said Dr. Greg Johnson, Parkview Hospital’s chief medical officer. The hospitals are Parkview Huntington, Parkview LaGrange, Parkview Noble, Parkview Whitley, Parkview North and DeKalb Health. Parkview has used the eICU program since 2004.
Doctors and nurses are assigned to monitoring shifts exclusively and don’t abandon the remote patients to care for people on-site during busy times.
The number of caregivers scheduled fluctuates with the number of patients being monitored, but one physician can comfortably oversee 12 to 15 patients, Johnson said.
The remote doctor does “rounds,” checking the condition of each patient once or twice during each shift. The system uses cameras and monitors with enough clarity to allow the off-site doctor to check whether a patient’s pupils are dilated, Ray said.
The remote specialist also has access to heart and oxygen monitor readings and can consult with the ICU nurse on-site, he said.
“It improves the overall outcome of the patient because it’s immediate and proactive care,” Ray said.
Hospital officials also like that patients and their families can stay in their own communities. Patients who have visitors and family support recover faster, they say.
