WINNEMUCCA - The obstetrics department at Humboldt General Hospital is hailing new technology that will help providers and staff more closely monitor laboring moms and babies.
"We have been waiting a long time for this system," said OB Nurse Manager Linda Goodale. "This allows us to be even more watchful and caring of our moms and babies."
The new perinatal data system came online last month in the labor and delivery department. The $156,000 purchase was approved by the Humboldt County Hospital District Board of Trustees at their February 28 meeting.
The OBIX system tracks babies' heart rates and the rate at which moms are contracting during labor. Perhaps the best part about the new technology, however, is that the system allows nursing staff and physicians to not only view that same information in patient rooms and at the nurses station but on phones, tablets and other "smart" technology.
"This really allows for 24-hour accessibility by an OB physician," said Goodale.
The new system is compatible with all current equipment, including the hospital's existing fetal monitoring system. It can handle up to three patients at one time; more fetal monitors in the future will allow for more patients to board the system.
Goodale said she and staff members reviewed various systems before landing on the OBIX technology. "Some were very hard to read-very hard to navigate," she said, "and you just don't want that in a possibly critical situation like labor and delivery."
She continued, "Every mom and baby needs careful monitoring and we wanted to make the system as easy and user-friendly for our nurses and physicians as possible."
Perhaps even more important is that the OBIX system has been ranked No. 1 among perinatal information systems for seven consecutive by the Klas Performance Report. Of the products ranked, it received the highest ratings by customers in the categories of buy again and receiving their money's worth.
Klas is a research firm specializing in monitoring and reporting the performance of healthcare vendors.
"That was an important consideration for us," said Goodale. "Our ability to care for patients is only as good as the technology we employ, so we wanted to make sure we got the right system for our needs."
Humboldt General Hospital CEO/Administrator Jim Parrish said he was impressed with the technology which will provide nurses with more tools to help them do their job.
"Plus, the ability for the doctors to receive the fetal monitoring data remotely is a huge plus," said Parrish. "With this system, our physicians can use their smart technology to respond to clinical events before the nurses even call them. That's a great level of reassurance for our nurses."
Goodale said the system provides a continuity of care that is critical in the OB department.
"Our patients can come in anytime and within seconds, we can pull up historic fetal traces and all the notes attached; old delivery records are also at our fingertips. There are no paper records to retrieve from medical records. The system is very user friendly. The menus are quickly available and are arranged in a logical order that prompts you to chart appropriate information."
Goodale continued, "Monthly statistics that used to take hours, maybe days, now are available at the click of a button. It's a great opportunity to collect data and present that data in education situations as well as conduct special studies. Plus, information is immediately available after delivery to send to the office and any healthcare provider can utilize that information."
Goodale concluded, "But the best reason why we, as nurses, love this system is because it's an incredible step forward in our ability to care for our moms and babies. We want to be able to tell our patients that we have a very high quality monitoring system to make sure their baby is as safe as can be during the delivery process."
For more information on Humboldt General Hospital's Obstetrics Department or to schedule a tour, please contact HGH OB Nurse Manager Linda Goodale at (775) 623-5222, ext. 142.
[[In-content Ad]]
