Portsmouth NHS Trust announces hand-held computers' boost

Patients in need of urgent medical attention will be identified and treated more rapidly with the help of a new hand-held computer system being used by staff at one of Britain’s leading NHS trusts.

  It is estimated that over 20,000 in-hospital cardiac arrests and similar numbers of unanticipated intensive care unit admissions may be avoidable annually in the UK with earlier recognition and better treatment.

VitalPAC™ enables clinicians to easily and effectively identify deteriorating patients by allowing real-time monitoring of a patient’s condition.  Studies have shown the system to produce three times fewer errors in the recording and scoring of vital signs data compared to traditional pen and paper methods. 

VitalPAC™, designed by hospital improvement specialist The Learning Clinic in conjunction with Microsoft and Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust, records, stores, and analyses the data regarding a patient’s vital signs (pulse, blood pressure, respiratory rate etc) allowing clinicians to effectively monitor the condition of their patients in real time throughout a hospital stay.

Following a successful in-hospital trial running since March 2005, Portsmouth Hospital NHS Trust is today announcing full implementation of VitalPAC™ across the Queen Alexandra site, its major acute hospital.

Based on its experience so far, The Learning Clinic estimates that the Trust could save several million pounds over the next few years thanks to VitalPAC™.

Early results indicate that just one ward may save £1million per year by using the system. 

VitalPAC™ does not only identify the sickest patients, it also indicates which patients may be well enough to be discharged or whose condition suggests they do not need a hospital bed in the first place.  By helping clinicians know which patients may be well enough to discharge, and which patients are deteriorating and need attention before their condition becomes more serious, VitalPAC™ both improves patient care, and saves precious hospital resources. 

Professor Gary Smith, Consultant in Critical Care at Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust and clinical lead for the VitalPAC project, said: “This is an exciting moment for Portsmouth.  We believe the VitalPAC™ system to be a key tool in ensuring improved patient-focused care, enhanced patient safety and greater efficiency in the care of sick patients. ”

Roger Killen, Managing Director, The Learning Clinic, said:  “The VitalPAC™ system is a huge step forward for the NHS in the care of patients and the management of resources.  Not only will it help ensure the safety of the patient, but it also promotes their timely progress through the tests and investigations that help the clinical teams make accurate diagnosis and treatment.  The sooner the patient is on the right treatment, the sooner they recover.  That’s good for hospital efficiency and good for the patient.”

John Coulthard, Director of Healthcare for Microsoft, said: “These are exciting times for technology in the health sector and VitalPAC is a fantastic example of smart technology delivering tangible benefits to NHS staff and patients.  From the start, the requirements of clinical and nursing staff have been paramount and the result is a user-friendly system which has significantly improved the lives of frontline NHS staff and ultimately the patients they care for.”

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