Critical Connections eICU at The Christ Hospital - Transforming care, when it matters most
Our Critical Connections eICU Program provides intensive care unit (ICU) patients with additional support and monitoring by our qualified remote critical care team. This advanced program uses telemedicine technology to monitor every aspect of the patient’s condition – 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Critical Connections team does not replace the care provided by a family physician, surgeon or direct care provided your bedside. The program pushes critical care to the next level by providing additional support to ensure the best possible care and alleviate some of the stress experienced during an intensive care stay.
An intensivist is a doctor who specializes in caring for critically ill patients. These specialists work with your physician or surgeon and ICU nurses. But when the intensivist can’t be there every minute, continual care and monitoring are still needed. Rest assured that registered nurses will always be present in the ICU and available to provide immediate care.
For more information, contact Mary Ann Nutt, RN, MSN or call 513-585-0934.
How does the eICU program work?
The eICU program uses advanced technology and private, high-speed data lines to allow a critical care nurse and a trained intensivist to monitor patients 24/7. This team of medical professionals monitors patients from Critical Connections Center, located in The Christ Hospital Medical Office Building.
How does my physician work with the Critical Connections team?
Your family physician or surgeon selects the level of care they wish the Critical Connections team to provide. Our physicians talk frequently with the patient’s physician about his or her plan of medical care.
How does the Critical Connections team deliver medical care?
Vital signs, medications, blood test results, X-rays and other information from ICU bedside monitors are sent to the Critical Connections Center by private, high-speed data lines. Our physicians and nurses view this information, which appears on computers exactly as you see it in the hospital room. Patients can be examined through the use of special cameras, and our team can talk directly with hospital nurses and physicians. The Critical Connections team has powerful computer systems that continuously analyze the information coming in and alert them to possible problems. The team also has other systems that contain the latest medical information for diagnosing and treating many ICU conditions. The combination of the nurses and physicians in the hospital ICU and the Critical Connections center provides advanced, collaborative care.
*ICU patients are constantly monitored by the ICU nursing staff and our Critical Connections team. If a patient or family would like to speak to the Critical Connections staff, simply push the E-Lert button located in the patient’s room. We will be happy to speak with you at any time.
Privacy and protection
Physicians and nurses only view patients when necessary to see how they are doing. Just as your physician needs to see patients in person, Critical Connections physicians and nurses also need to “make rounds” to check on patients. Cameras are located above the door of each patient’s room. When the camera is turned off, it faces inward toward the wall. When turned on, the camera faces the patient and a green light comes on.
Protected Health Information
Several measures are taken to ensure all personal health information is protected.
Access to information is limited to those with granted medical record and hospital authorization.
Information is not accessible to anyone other than those providing medical care.
No temporary or permanent recording is made from any camera or microphone.
Sending patient information to/from the Critical Connections Center occurs only over private phone lines. Information is NOT transmitted over the Internet.
A scrambling technique is applied to all information (encryption) to make it unreadable as it travels across the phone lines. When the information reaches the Critical Connections Center, the technique is reversed so that physicians and nurses can read it. Data is sent from the Critical Connections Center to the hospital in the same way.
These numbers are private and periodically changed to ensure security.
All personnel enter the Critical Connections Center through secured access.
Critical Connections physicians use a secured personal identification number (PIN) as an authorized electronic signature instead of a written signature when ordering treatments