Scripps Health is piloting Sotera Wireless's ViSi mobile, a wireless patient monitoring system, with up to 30 patients at Scripps Green Hospital in La Jolla, California. Although the Scripps Translational Science Institute has investigated ViSi devices before, this pilot marks the first time Scripps has used the device in a real-world clinical setting.
The ViSi Mobile system continuously monitors blood pressure, heart rate or pulse rate, electrocardiogram (ECG) or heart rhythm, blood oxygenation level, respiration rate and skin temperature from a wearable sensor system with a wristworn screen. Whereas nurses normally have to check these vital signs periodically and record them, ViSi's system monitors them constantly and alerts caregivers if they fall out of acceptable ranges. ViSi received FDA clearance for it’s full system in August 2012, after getting the monitoring device cleared in April 2012.
At Scripps, the device will be used to monitor patients either recovering from surgery or recovering from diseases like pneumonia, liver disease, or other illnesses. The goal is to access whether doctors, nurses, and patients are comfortable with the monitoring technology.
“Continuous monitoring tells a much deeper story about what is going on with a patient, revealing early signs of trouble that can trigger life-saving intervention,” Mary Ellen Doyle, Scripps vice president for nursing operations, said in a statement. “By testing the most promising wireless technologies and bringing them into our hospital, we are keeping our focus on patients and the quality of care that we deliver to them.”
Following the Green Hospital pilot, Scripps plans to launch a second pilot at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla in early 2014. Scripps will then evaluate whether to permanently adopt the the ViSi mobile system in all five of its hospitals.
Several large hospital systems have already adopted the ViSi mobile system. Intermountain Healthcare in Utah was the most recent customer. Prior to that, Palomar Pomerado became the first hospital to incorporate the ViSi Mobile system in February of this year.
