Welch Allyn has released a new vital signs monitor, which the company plans to display at the HIMSS annual conference taking place in Chicago April 12–16. The Connex Spot Monitor fully automates vital signs capture and wireless data transfer to an electronic medical record (EMR), via a full-color touchscreen display that provides comprehensive and accurate patient documentation, says the company. The wireless system transmits patient data to hospital and physician office EMRs, enabling improvements in patient safety and reducing risk to facilities.
According to Welch Allyn, its new vital signs monitor combines vital signs parameter technologies with flexibility for use across patient populations spanning neonatal through adult. Some of the vital signs captured by the Connex Spot Monitor include pulse rate and blood pressure measurement utilizing 15-second SureBP with blood pressure averaging technology for more accurate hypertension diagnosis; pulse oximetry for assessing respiratory conditions such as COPD and asthma via professional-grade options from Masimo, Nonin Medical, and Covidien; and fast, accurate thermometry with the SureTemp Plus.
“Every day physicians and nurses face new and difficult challenges, but these should not include inaccuracy of patient data, a lack of access to that data, or low efficiency with collecting vitals,” said Garrison Gomez, senior director of Vital Signs and Cardiology, US and Canada, at Welch Allyn. “The Welch Allyn Connex Spot Monitor is a third-generation connected vital signs device that provides an end-to-end solution to these problems. It has multiple parameters and wireless connectivity to ensure accurate vital signs measurement across an entire patient population and future-proof compatibility with leading EMRs.”
To help eliminate errors in patient data entry and simplify connectivity with physician EMR systems, the Welch Allyn Connex Spot Monitor is said to offer wireless connectivity designed specifically for the primary care workflow. It is designed so users can easily connect the device to any PC running the practice’s EMR system and transfer vitals directly into the patient’s chart wirelessly without the need to physically connect with any cables—helping to ensure timely, accurate entry of data into the EMR for improved patient safety and decision-making.
In addition to advanced EMR connectivity for physicians, the company says the device also helps track and detect early signs of patient deterioration in hospital settings using the built-in Connex Scoring App. The app uses a point-of-care calculator structured around the hospital’s own early warning score (EWS) protocols to determine the likelihood of adverse events. As vitals are taken and additional patient data is input into the device, the Connex Scoring App produces an automated, color-coded scoring result that is displayed on the device along with facility-determined intervention instructions to help providers make informed patient care decisions quickly. Scoring information can also be communicated to the EMR as well as displayed on a central nursing station if the device is a part of a Welch Allyn Connex clinical surveillance system.
For more information about the Connex Spot Monitor, visit the Welch Allyn website.
