Page 23 - 2016 Nursing Annual Report | Summa Health

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21.05% Their work continues this year. They plan to introduce
a handout called the “sepsis clock,” which details the
She said they also created a badge backer for the nursing treatment timing. They are also working with the nursing
staff to start monitoring what’s called the MEWS score.
assistants and techs w2i0th all the standard vital signs along

with a statement that they must notify a nurse any time a

patient falls out of those parameters.

tNheewsteaqffucipamllseCnht eweatsaha1l.5sIot’spaurncohnaisnevdasfiovretchaerdICiaUc that “A MEWS score is the Modified Early Warning Score” said
output Mesaros. “CarePATH, our electronic health record, takes
all the vitals together and the patient’s mental status and
monitor that monitors fluid status, which is vital to gives a score. If you see a patient whose MEWS score is
one, one, one and then all of the sudden you get a two or
controlling sepsis. three, then you can see something is wrong.”

“The patients definitel1y0need fluids, but if you give a New vita9l.s2ig1n%monitors were also purchased for telemetry

patient too much you can cause more complications and that communicate directly with CarePATH. These
monitors take the vital signs and automatically populate
it increases mortality. Cheetah shows if the patient is still
the paFteiebnrtu’sacrhyart as well as calculate the MEWS score.
fluid responsive and if their pressure is low, you’re going
“There’s less time involved for the nursing assistant or
to give them more fgluividin5,”gemxpolraeinaendDdMmeecosearermoflsbu. ie“dSrowhtheant not nurse,” said Johnson. “They can just take the vital signs
way you’re not just and it’s documented immediately so there is no delayed
entry.”
indicated.”
The new monitors are expected to be installed at Summa
Mesaros and Johnson also worked to educate the public Health System – Barberton Campus this year and then
about sepsis. They created pamphlets that were put in all brought to the medical/surgical units at the Akron
the waiting rooms throughout the Akron Campus and put Campus in the first part of 2018.
up posters in the main lobby.

Outcomes

Their efforts made a significant difference in the 30-day
readmission rates and patient mortality.

From February-December 2016, the 30-day readmission
rate dropped from 21.05 percent to 9.21 percent.
Mortality dropped from 17.7 percent to 10.34 percent.

25
21.05%

20
17.7%

15

10 10.34%
9.21%
5 December February

30-day readmission rate 2016 Nursing Annual Report 23
Mortality