Welch Allyn and Patientrack collaboration gives vital signs technology all the right connections

A national focus on reducing avoidable patient harm in NHS hospitals is to benefit from a new collaboration between two vital signs monitoring and technology specialists which should significantly help doctors and nurses in their quest to deliver safer care.

Welch Allyn, a leading medical diagnostic device company that was recently acquired by global medical technology company Hill-Rom, and Patientrack, a UK-based specialist software firm that has been helping the NHS improve safety and reduce harm, have today announced complete and efficient connectivity between the Welch Allyn Connex Spot Monitor and Patientrack’s software.

Early warning score (EWS) systems, which rely on the accuracy of recorded data and the speed with which problems are flagged up and addressed, are widely used in UK hospitals to enable early intervention for patients showing signs of deterioration.

The Welch Allyn Connex Spot Monitor (CSM) does away with errors resulting from manual transcription thanks to fully-automated data capture. All major vital signs - blood pressure, temperature, pulse and oxygen saturation - can be recorded at the point of care in under a minute, removing the need for manual input, avoiding mistakes and allowing nursing staff to spend more time where it counts – caring for patients.

Data collected will now be instantly sent to the Patientrack software, which will interpret the information and calculate patients’ EWS automatically. Patientrack then detects patients at risk of deterioration and can be programmed to alert clinicians until action is taken and the situation resolved. The software also creates a rich patient level database so that interventions can be analysed to improve clinical processes and pathways, and support governance.

The seamless communication between the Welch Allyn CSM and Patientrack software is a further step towards the interoperability required within the NHS. Suppliers are increasingly being challenged to demonstrate a willingness to work together and achieve greater connectivity.

Alton Shader, president of Welch Allyn, is confident that harnessing the synergy between the two companies will be good for patient outcomes by reducing risk and increasing staff productivity. He said: “Welch Allyn already has a track record of excellent interfaces with more than 90 different electronic patient record systems, adapting different technologies so they can talk to each other. This exciting project with Patientrack has huge potential, and is an excellent example of what can be achieved when two companies dedicated to enhancing patient outcomes pool their technological know-how.”

Donald Kennedy, managing director at Patientrack, added: “Providing timely, accurate data and putting valuable technology into the hands of clinicians is vital. Collaborating with Welch Allyn will help us do this even more effectively, as we work with hospitals across the country to help them deliver safer, more affordable care.”

Welch Allyn and Patientrack are currently piloting the technology, which offers hospitals added value, with data also used to map everything from performance improvement to care pathways.