For the September edition of HTN Now, we were joined by CareFlow Medicines Management (CMM) to discuss their critical care system.
Led by Verl Vine, CMM’s ICU expert and critical care product specialist, the session explored how critical care units would benefit from using the system, and demonstrated the software in both an ICU and theatre anaesthetic solution setting.
Verl began the session by offering some background for CMM, describing them as “a leading provider with clinically-led, proven technology” working with over 140 trusts and healthcare boards nationally along with private healthcare organisations. CMM works across seven countries, providing the critical care suite product across 29 critical care areas, including operating theatres.
“The centre of what we do is pharmacy and EPMA,” Verl said, adding that the company are currently evolving towards providing more specialised solutions such as chemotherapy and now the launch of their critical care system.
Describing the product, Verl said, “As CMM pharmacy and EPMA form the backbone of our product, this allows a seamless flow of patients’ medicine records. The new suite will cover three key departments in critical care: ICU and HDU, covering both adult and neonatal; emergency departments; and operating theatres.”
CMM is “proud to be a clinically led organisation”, Verl said, “where all our solutions are designed by clinicians for clinicians.” She explained how this had an impact on the development of the critical care suite, with the development team working alongside clinicians in the departments to understand their work process and capture their individual workflow needs.
“As clinicians, we understand how frustrating it is to work with solutions that didn’t match up with our work process, so it was crucial to us to get this right,” Verl commented.
She described how the suite accredited by HIMSS and is compliant with EMRAM Level 7 requirements, as well as being completely interoperable with all main HL7 and FHIR compliant EPR, HIS and PAS vendors. It is also able to integrate with existing patient monitoring and infusion pumps and ventilators.
The system is user-friendly and can be used across varying devices and accessed using AD details, removing the need for multiple passwords across multiple units. In addition, alerts can be added when new findings or patient information is added, meaning clinicians are notified when important plans or results for the patient come through.
Verl went on to explain that the constant flow of information from integration and interoperability ensures more accurate data recordings. It can also allow data to be pushed back out to other systems such as EPRs.
Explaining how this will be beneficial, she said, “It avoids that need for manual transcription, avoiding potential errors. Clinical staff are viewing up-to-date and accurate information, making it easier for clinical decisions to be made.” She noted that removing the need for manual transcriptions also frees up clinicians’ time, allowing more time and care to be given to patients.
Verl explained how the critical care system would work in an operating theatre setting. She explained that it aims to capture an end-to-end workflow with comprehensive records from the point of re-assessment to induction, onto intra-op, to recovery and then onto critical care. The information can be looped and made accessible and visible to clinicians at any point, even once the patient has been discharged onto a ward. The data can then be pushed onto the APR.
She added that the system can be used as a fully functioning system on its own with an anaesthetics record, or it can be used in conjunction where other systems have already been implemented.
As with the ICU operation, the system can be fully integrated in theatre settings. Verl explained: “The system integrates with anaesthetic monitors and blood gas machines to provide a completely digitised anaesthetic record.”
It is also able to capture real-time monitoring, update the EPR records and administer drugs, which can then be pushed back into EPMA records. It has a multi-user feature meaning that any changes created by a user will then be available and visible to other users. This means that it can streamline communication and data sharing between clinicians, ensuring fewer errors and allowing for clinical decisions to be made easier and more immediate.
At this point, Verl provided a demonstration of the critical care system in an ICU example setting and followed this up with a demonstration of the system at work in a theatre setting.
Many thanks to Verl for sharing her time and experience with us. To arrange a demonstration or to find out more, contact CMM here.
