Vital signs monitors
Last year, caregivers in the medical/surgical unit at Providence Milwaukie took patients’ vital sign measurements over 36,600 times. Unfortunately, they had to use mobile units, which often took several minutes to locate and then move to a patient’s room. This was not ideal for patients or caregivers.
Now, thanks to donor generosity, each of the 34 rooms on the unit has a wall-mounted vital sign monitor. The machines make it faster and easier for caregivers to take a patient’s vital signs, something they often do up to nine times in the first 24 hours after surgery. And because the monitors are not being used for multiple patients, the time spent cleaning the mobile cart between uses is eliminated, and the risk of spreading disease is reduced.
“By mounting the vital sign machines in each of the patient rooms, it not only improves infection prevention for patients by having dedicated equipment, but also improves the caregiver workflow,” said nurse manager Craig Norton, RN, MSN.
And that time spent looking for a vital sign machine? It is now time that caregivers are available to care for patients.
