Tele-ICU Study at Baptist Health South Florida Reveals Positive Patient Impact in PCU Setting

Observational Controlled Study with 19,530 Patients Finds that Patients in Step down Units can benefit from Tele-ICU Monitoring

MIAMI, FL – June 6, 2017 –While the benefits of tele-ICU monitoring have long been established in the critical care setting ― picking up small and subtle changes in a patient’s condition so that problems may be proactively treated ― little research had been done in the use of remote monitoring in Step down ICU beds.

A study by Baptist Health’s tele-ICU department reveals that patients in Stepdown ICU’s, can benefit from monitoring by tele-ICU. The observational case controlled study, conducted between December 2011 and August 2016, looked at well-established outcomes and quality measures from 19,530 inpatients at six of its hospitals.

The findings showed significantly decreased mortality and a shorter length of stay in tele-ICU patients in the step-down setting. “With higher numbers of critical care patients, Step down ICUs are seeing increasing patients with higher acuity levels,” said Louis Gidel, Ph.D., M.D., Baptist Health’s chief medical informatics and quality officer. “Tele-intervention is an effective tool to improve patient care.”

Study outcomes provide evidence of the effectiveness of tele-innovation and validate the impact on quality and cost in the progressive care setting, which support a rationale for extension of access to tele-ICU care services across broader hospital populations.

Further investigation is needed to examine influence of tele-ICU care service on severity adjusted predictions across varying practice settings.

The research project was led by Donna Armaignac, Ph.D., R.N., and the study abstract was published in Critical Care Medicine.

About Baptist Health South Florida
Baptist Health South Florida is the largest healthcare organization in the region, with seven hospitals (Baptist Hospital, Baptist Children’s Hospital, Doctors Hospital, Homestead Hospital, Mariners Hospital, South Miami Hospital and West Kendall Baptist Hospital), nearly 50 outpatient and urgent care facilities, Baptist Health Medical Group, Baptist Health Quality Network and internationally renowned centers of excellence. The not-for-profit, faith-based Baptist Health has approximately 16,000 employees and 2,400 affiliated physicians. Baptist Health South Florida has been recognized by Fortune as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America and by Ethisphere as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies. For more information, visit BaptistHealth.net and connect with us on Facebook at facebook.com/BaptistHealthSF and on Twitter and Instagram @BaptistHealthSF.

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