Quality & Patient Safety

UPenn Health System uses eICU to lower VAP rates

Patient Safety Monitor, May 1, 2009

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Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) has been a constant headache for hospitals around the country. It has been on the list of IHI interventions since the inception of the 100,000 Lives Campaign in 2005. It is one of the most acquired conditions by ICU patients on ventilators, and its presence exacerbates existing conditions and adds costly days to ICU stays.

To help lower its VAP rates, UPenn Health System in Philadelphia utilized an electronic ICU (eICU), a system already in place at the organization that used telemedicine to monitor patients, and realized a cost savings of more than $138,000 in a two-year span.

An eICU can add an extra level of monitoring for ICU patients. Not only does it provide visual surveillance, but it also offers a level of data and analysis that bedside caregivers alone cannot provide.

This is an excerpt from a member only article. To read the article in its entirety, please login or subscribe to Patient Safety Monitor.

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