Newton-Wellesley Hospital's Early Detection Initiative Improves Clinical Outcomes, Reduces Nurse Alarm Response Time by 59%

WALTHAM, Massachusetts, March 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

EarlySense, the market leader in Contact-Free Continuous Monitoring solutions, announced today that Newton-Wellesley Hospital, a nationally recognized medical center and a member of Partners Healthcare, has reported a significant improvement in patient outcomes following continued implementation of its Early Detection of Deterioration Project. The facility also recorded an overall reduction of 59% in median nurse response time to alarms.

According to the peer-reviewed paper published in the November-December issue of the AAMI BI&T Journal, the project began in response to The Joint Commission's 2009 National Patient Safety Goal (NPSG) on Alarm Management, which urged hospitals to "improve recognition and response to changes in a patient's condition." The initiative was supported by Newton-Wellesley physicians and the clinical nurses in the medical surgical division.

"Our joint concern for effective monitoring and treatment of post-operative patients receiving opioids was a key factor for undertaking this initiative, and our strong nurse-physician partnerships enabled us to successfully implement the program" said Dr. Perry An, MD, Chief Operating Officer, Division of Hospital Medicine at Newton-Wellesley Hospital in Newton, MA. "Throughout the course of our Early Detection of Deterioration Project we have documented dozens of case studies in which continuous monitoring aided our staff in early detection and diagnosis. This, combined with our success in minimizing the frequency of false alarms, has allowed Newton-Wellesley to significantly improve its response times and achieve better patient outcomes."

Newton-Wellesley Hospital, a 265- bed community and teaching hospital located in Newton, MA, implemented EarlySense's Continuous Monitoring Solution to measure heart and respiratory rate, and motion, in an effort to detect potentially adverse events earlier. The technology, which is comprised of a sensor placed under the patient's mattress, provides early detection of patient deterioration and alerts staff to intervene before an adverse event develops. Continuous monitoring is useful because it provides a large amount of data, and analyzes the patient's condition over time, identifying baseline changes that may not be apparent during routine rounding visits which are common practice.

"Newton-Wellesley has shown leadership and a commitment to preventing unrecognized patient deterioration by implementing continuous vital sign monitoring for all their patients, not just the sickest ones," said Dr. Frank J. Overdyk, an anesthesiologist for the Roper St. Francis Health System and Chairman of the AAMI Foundation's National Coalition to Promote Continuous Monitoring of Patients on Opioids. "They have successfully integrated EarlySense technology into the workflow of their bedside providers and improved patient safety by reducing burdensome false alarms and alarm response times, without compromising efficiency."

Following installation of EarlySense, changes were made to the hospital's reporting policy to require documentation and verbal communication of alarm activity within the electronic health record at each shift change. In this way, alarm activity was more visible to staff, and repeated alarms were escalated for intervention, if needed. New workflow policies were also developed for each unit regarding use of the technology, the responsibilities for responding to an alarm, and the required interventions for an alarm response.

"Partners Healthcare and Newton-Wellesley Hospital are at the forefront of patient safety, and we are proud to provide the core solution powering this important clinical initiative," said Avner Halperin, CEO of EarlySense. "As the healthcare industry works toward improving patient care, we'll see more facilities across the continuum of care invest in continuous monitoring solutions and implement early detection programs. These initiatives are providing significant clinical outcome benefits and improving patient care. We believe that with these efforts, and their associated results, Continuous Monitoring of patients is becoming a Standard of Care for all non ICU Patients."

About EarlySense 

EarlySense provides contact-free, continuous monitoring solutions for the medical and consumer digital health markets. EarlySense's patented sensor and advanced algorithms monitor and analyze cardiac, respiratory and motion parameters. Used in hospitals and healthcare facilities worldwide, EarlySense assists clinicians in early detection of patient deterioration, helping to prevent adverse events, including code blues, preventable ICU transfers, patient falls and pressure ulcers.

LIVE by EarlySense is the first home health and sleep monitor powered by medically-proven, contact-free, continuous monitoring technology. The company's OEM technology is also at the core of wellness and sleep products marketed by international partners including Samsung, Beurer and iFit. EarlySense was founded in 2004 and has offices in Waltham, MA, and Ramat Gan, Israel.

For more information, please visit http://www.earlysense.com and http://www.livebyearlysense.com.

Follow EarlySense on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

Follow LIVE by EarlySense on Facebook and Twitter.

About Newton-Wellesley Hospital 

Newton-Wellesley Hospital is one of 100 hospitals (and in the top 25%) recently lauded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and George Washington University for its participation in a prestigious national program to improve the quality and safety of patient care.

Newton-Wellesley is a full system member of Partners HealthCare System, Inc. (PHCS), a nonprofit organization that includes acute care hospitals Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women's/Faulkner Hospitals, The North Shore Medical Center, and specialty hospitals McLean Hospital and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, as well as Dana-Farber/Partners Cancer Care, and the community-based doctors and hospitals of Partners Community HealthCare, Inc.

 Newton-Wellesley Hospital provides a wide range of services, including medical, surgical, obstetrical, orthopaedic, neonatal, pediatric and psychiatric care. Newton-Wellesley has been serving its community for over a century. The medical staff of the Hospital includes nearly 1,000 physicians practicing a full range of specialties. NWH is a major teaching hospital for Tufts University School of Medicine and also has established post-graduate training programs for Harvard Medical School residents.

Media Contact:
Ellie Hanson
Finn Partners
+1-929-222-8006
[email protected]

Company Contact:
Maayan Wenderow
+1-617-971-6464
[email protected]

SOURCE EarlySense and Newton-Wellesley Hospital