An early warning system that measures six vital signs has been used to dramatically reduce the incidences of Code Blues at Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS). Code Blues used to sound daily at HHS, but since the Hamilton Early Warning System (HEWS) was developed and implemented, it can be days before one hears one at most of the hospital’s acute care sites. HEWS was developed by clinicians at Hamilton General Hospital (HGH). By monitoring vital signs, the system can quickly determine if a patient is deteriorating to the point that the response team should be called for help. HEWS integrates with the hospital’s electronic patient record and triggers an early response from care teams and the impact has been significant as, in most cases, a cardiac or respiratory arrest can be prevented with intervention.
Expérience des soins