After the implementation of an electronic intensive care unit monitoring program, Northside Medical Center in Youngstown, Ohio, experienced longer patient stays, a higher mortality rate and an increase in the number of code blues, according to a study recently presented at the 2013 meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians.
The eICU Program used intensivists and other clinicians to provide around-the-clock supplemental remote monitoring to two adult ICUs in the 375-bed hospital. Researches studied the lengths of stay and incidence of negative outcomes for a year before and after the program's implementation.
Results showed an increase in mortality from 78 to 90 per 1,000 patients, an increase in length of stay from 3 days to 3.2 days and an increase in the incidence of falls from 0 to 0.81 following the implementation of the eICU. Additionally, although the number of patients remained relatively constant over the two-year period, the number of code blues jumped from 39 to 54.
Because of the sample size, these changes were not considered to be statistically significant by the researchers, who noted further study using a larger sample was needed to draw more definitive conclusions. However, the results did suggest to the researchers that eICU monitoring systems may not be the best solution for every hospital.
Remote monitoring through an eICU program is "an awesome tool for a resource-scarce situation," said Northside's Ajit Dhakal, MD, one of the study's authors, according to MedPageToday. "For a teaching hospital, not so much."
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