Background: The use of continuous multiparameter surveillance monitoring (CMSM) fosters early recognition of deteriorating vital signs with data trends, prompting clinical intervention to promote patient safety and decrease failure to rescue events. The CMSM monitors a patient's heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, respiration, and skin temperature. The CMSM real-time data transmit wirelessly to the EHR and to a remote viewer display (RVD) at the nurses' station. Vital signs that fall outside safe parameters alert the nursing staff at the RVD and their mobile handheld device, prompting intervention. The CMSM communicates through Wi-Fi, allowing monitoring of a patient while in the room or on the unit or during transport throughout the hospital. In addition, the CMSM unit is a wearable medical device, facilitating patient mobility. For this study, a large, southeastern, suburban hospital uses CMSM on their medical-surgical floor.
Objective: The aim of this study is to examine code blue/treat team events for non-CMSM and CMSM medical-surgical floor patients to determine whether CMSM improves patient outcomes.
Methods: A retrospective study was conducted by reviewing the hospital's code blue/treat team logs and comparing the data with the EHR, ascertaining CMSM device use. Outcomes were noted for both non-CMSM and CMSM patients who experienced a code blue or treat team event on the medical-surgical floor. Staff education procedures were also evaluated by comparing current education practices with the recommended vendor-supplied educational tools.
Results: The CMSM patients had an overall decrease of code blue/treat team events, a decrease in patients being transferred to a higher level of care after an event, and an increase in patients remaining on the unit after an event versus non-CMSM patients. Further review revealed instances of incorrect use of the CMSM device, possibly contributing to failure to rescue events with the CMSM patients. Review of the staff education practices revealed a lack of formalized training for new hires and nonuse of the vendor-recommended instructional videos and clinical skills checklist, as well as an outdated CMSM policy and procedure manual.
Conclusion: It seems that CMSM of medical-surgical patients improves patient outcomes. A formal CMSM device training program, as well as ongoing staff education of correct CMSM device use, could continue to improve patient outcomes and decrease failure to rescue events.