Dalcon Alert
Dalcon Alert
For Patient Care Notification & Alert Management
Remote Alert Monitor (RAM)
Caregivers acknowledge and respond to many sounds and lights generated by alarms in the patient room each day. These alarms are created by telemetry, monitors, ventilators, infusion pumps, fall alerts and practically anything else.
Although alarms are crucial to administering necessary patient care, throughout the day the increasing number of audible & visual alarms can become overwhelming. Understanding this obstacle in delivering superior patient care, Dalcon has developed Dalcon Alert (Pat. Pending) as a solution.
How Dalcon Alert Works
Patient care devices are plugged into the Remote Alert Monitor (RAM) at a single patient bed. These can include but are not limited to:
- Bed alarm systems
- Chair fall alert pads
- IV Pumps
- Multi-parameter monitors
When an alarm is triggered by a device that is plugged into the RAM, the RAM interprets the alarm and wirelessly sends it to the Dalcon Communications Manager (DCM) server.
The DCM server records the alarm in a database and then pushes a notification out to the Alarm Management Display screen located at the nursing station.
Finally, the DCM server generates text message notifications and pushes them out to wireless devices carried by facility caregivers.
When the caregiver responds to the alarm in the patient room, he/she presses the cancel button on the RAM to record the time of response and to remove the notification from the list of active notification in the Alarm Management Software.
click here to return to top of page
No Special Installation Requirements
Since Dalcon Alert uses wireless technology, there is no reason to run hardwiring to the room or purchase/implement special nurse call interface systems.
Better Alarm Management/Documentation
Dalcon Alert allows alarms generated by patient care devices in the patient room to be communicated automatically to the appropriate caregivers both at the nurses stations and at specific wireless phones or pagers carried by the nurse. This real-time information about patient conditions and environment is exactly what nurses need to provide their best patient care.
The Dalcon Alert Alarm Management software simplifies active management of all alarms. At any time, active notifications can be displayed on the monitor screen of any computer on the hospital network, including at the nurse station.In addition, all notifications are recorded as well as the alarm cancel time when the nurse is in the room for ease of reporting both real-time and for historical analysis.
Never Event/Risk Prevention
With an increasing focus on “Never Events” and the fear of injury cost reimbursement, Dalcon Alert is the newest solution to patient fall prevention. Dalcon Alert wirelessly alerts caregivers directly when a patient identified as a fall risk leaves the bed or chair. The quick action enabled by this direct communication can help prevent patient falls and injury.
See also the White Paper, “An Assessment of Falls in Patients’ Rooms and Methods of Prevention” which analyzes the severity of patient fall liability for hospitals and methods of fall prevention.
Dalcon Alert also includes a Pressure Ulcer Management System designed to help caregivers prevent and treat never events due to pressure ulcers.
To learn more about Dalcon Alert, and how it can limit the prevalence of “Never Events,” please call 877.938.6439.
click to return to top of page
Alarm Management Software
Dalcon’s Alarm Management software is a major part of the Dalcon Alert solution. Designed to combat “Alarm Fatigue,” Management automatically ranks and organizes the different types of alarms received from all the monitoring systems integrated into Dalcon Alert into one list. Critical alarms are automatically ranked higher and highlighted to stand out, but all active alarms remain listed in the queue until canceled to ensure no alarm goes overlooked.
As the Dalcon Alert Remote Alert Monitor (RAM) receives alarms from patient monitoring devices, it routes alarms to the Alarm Management software at the same time it sends notifications to wireless phones/pagers held by caregivers.
When an alarm is captured, the Alarm Management software automatically adds it to the active notification queue. Staff can access this queue at any time to see which notifications, if any, are active at any given time. This queue relays the notification type, room number, time of alert initiation, and length of duration of all active alerts.
Dalcon provides a large screen monitor dedicated to running Alarm Management in the central nursing station.
To remove a notification from the Alarm Management queue, staff must attend to the alarm in the patient room and cancel it directly from the RAM unit. Forcing staff to cancel notifications at the point of care removes the chance of alarms being mistakenly overlooked by staff. As a result, accidental staff negligence is significantly reduced.
To learn more about Dalcon Alert and Alarm Management, please call 877.938-643.
click to return to top of page
Patient Fall Prevention
Patient falls are listed as a Never Event by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). CMS defines never events as, “errors in medical care that are clearly identifiable, preventable, and serious in their consequences for patients, and that indicate a real problem in the safety and credibility of a health care facility.” Since June 2008, when CMS mandated that they would refuse to reimburse hospitals for a list of identified never events, limiting the occurrence of patient fall never events has been of utmost concern to hospitals across the nation.
Limiting Patient Falls with Dalcon Alert
A main benefit of the Dalcon Alert(Pat. Pending) ability to immediately update caregivers on patient room events is related to patient fall prevention. When a fall risk patient attempts to get out of a bed or chair and trips an alarm, staff are immediately notified of the exact location of the incident via a notification message. Knowing the precise location of the fall alarm allows staff to rapidly respond to assist the fall risk patient.
As an additional feature proven effective in buying staff additional time to respond, The Dalcon Alert Remote Alert Monitor (RAM) has built in audible voice announcements. When patients set off a fall alarm, the RAM emits an audible voice message telling them to “please sit back down, help is coming” (or any other custom recorded message).
How Dalcon Alert Can Help Prevent Falls
Fall prevention monitoring devices are plugged into the Remote Alert Monitor (RAM). Such devices include but are not limited to:
- Bed alarm systems
- Bed exit pads
- Bed exit tether cords
When a fall-risk patient sets off an alarm from a fall prevention device plugged into the RAM, the RAM immediately begins playing a vocal announcement telling the patient to please sit back down. This can be a canned message, or a custom message recorded by a family member of the patient.
Next the RAM wirelessly sends an alert to the DCM communications server. The DCM server logs the alert into a database, and then simultaneously pushes out a notification to the Alarm Management Software and caregiver’s wireless devices.
The Alarm Management Software display at the nursing station shows information about the active fall alerts in the Dalcon Alert system. Caregivers receive text message notifications directly on their wireless devices displaying the fall alert and location.
To learn more about Dalcon Alert, and how it can limit the prevalence of “Never Events,” please call 877.938.6439.
click to return to top of page
Remote IV Pump Monitoring
Because caregivers cannot be everywhere at once, the continual beep of an IV Pump alarm is one of the top complaints of hospital patients nationwide. However, Dalcon Alert has an integrated solution that vastly increases staff productivity and patient satisfaction, Remote IV Pump Monitoring.
How IV Pump Monitoring Works
The IV pump is connected directly to the Remote Alert Monitor (RAM).When the IV pump generates an alarm, the RAM receives and interprets the alarm as specific to the IV pump.The RAM then wirelessly sends an alert to the Dalcon Communications Manager (DCM) server. The DCM server logs the alert into a database, and then simultaneously pushes out a notification to Alarm Management Software and caregiver’s wireless devices.
The Alarm Management Software display at the nursing station shows information about all the active notifications in the Dalcon Alert system. Caregivers receive text message notifications directly on their wireless devices displaying the notification type and location.
Dalcon Alert can be programmed to send a text message to the sole caregiver responsible for overseeing the patient, or to any number of caregivers—all those on the same floor for example—so that the nearest staff member can quickly attend to the IV Pump.
To learn more about Dalcon’s Remote IV Pump Monitoring, call 877.938.6439.
click to return to top of page
Pressure Ulcer (Bed Sore) Management System
Stage 3 and 4 Pressure Ulcers are listed as a Never Event by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). CMS defines never events as, “errors in medical care that are clearly identifiable, preventable, and serious in their consequences for patients, and that indicate a real problem in the safety and credibility of a health care facility.”
Since June 2008, when CMS directed that they would refuse to reimburse hospitals for a list of identified never events, limiting never events due to dangerous pressure ulcers has been an even higher priority for all federally funded hospitals.
Preventing Pressure Ulcers with Dalcon Alert
Preventing pressure ulcers is a difficult process that requires constant staff dedication. The most effective technique caregiver’s use to prevent and treat pressure ulcers is to relieve pressure by frequently turning the position of high-risk patients.
Without an automatic system, it is easy for caregivers, operating on multiple shifts, to accidentally overlook the “bed turn” process, which so successfully prevents pressure ulcers. Dalcon Alert’s pressure ulcer management system is designed to automatically track and schedule patient bed turning.
How the Dalcon Alert Pressure Ulcer Management System Works
First, the Pressure Ulcer Management System is activated on the Dalcon Alert Remote Alert Monitor (RAM), at the at-risk patient’s bedside. Once activated, the RAM automatically generates “bed turn” alerts at a set interval as dictated by facility administration.
The RAM then wirelessly sends the reminder alert to the Dalcon Communications Manager (DCM) server.
The DCM server logs the alert into a database, and then simultaneously pushes out a notification to the Alarm Management Software.
The DCM Server then sends the “bed turn” notification to the appropriate caregiver’s wireless device.After a caregiver attends to turning the patient, he/she presses the “reset”button on the RAM. Then “bed turn” timer again begins counting down to the next turn time, and the current alert is removed from the Alarm Management software system.
Please Note: Although Dalcon Alert contains the technology for caregivers to receive alerts via wireless phones, the pressure ulcer management system does not require such phones. If desired, hospitals can implement Dalcon Alert’s Alarm Management software & Pressure Ulcer Management System as a standalone system. This standalone system can be used as a tool to create and manage “bed turn” notifications using displays at nursing stations, and provide reminders to caregivers using current hospital communications.
Because Dalcon Alert’s Pressure Ulcer Management System helps nurses actively prevent overlooking pressure ulcer turns, the occurrence of dangerous pressure ulcers in at risk patients is significantly reduced.
To learn more about Dalcon Alert‘s Pressure Ulcer Management System, please call 877.938.6439
click to return to top of page
Bed Status
In today’s hectic hospital environment, the demand for inpatient beds frequently exceeds the hospital’s apparent bed supply. We call the bed supply “apparent” because hospitals often have available, unoccupied beds that remain unused.
There are various reasons for this. Often, there is significant time delay between the time a patient is discharged and the time that the newly available bed is communicated to admissions. The cleaning process that occurs after the discharge of a patient generally takes anywhere between half an hour to an hour. Yet, sometimes the available room is accidentally overlooked after the patient has been discharged.
Traditionally, two or more hours expire between the time when a patient is discharged and the time when the room’s availability is communicated to the admissions staff. Bed management procedures do exist, but with standard ADT (admissions-discharge-transfer) procedures, the necessary information that admissions workers need to improve patient flow is not efficiently formatted or communicated.
Dalcon has recognized this need and integrated a solution into our Dalcon Alert product line. Dalcon Alert’s “Bed Status” feature allows staff to monitor any bed’s status in real time.
How Dalcon Alert Bed Status Works
Located on the face of the Remote Alert Monitor (RAM) is a bed status button. Staff can easily change the status of the bed to three different settings to indicate bed condition:
- Occupied: Indicates that the bed is currently in use by a patient.
- Out of Service: Indicates the bed is being cleaned and prepared for next use.
- Available: Indicates that a bed is ready to receive a patient.
Dalcon Alert automatically updates the display at the nursing station to reflect the realtime bed status.
Simultaneously,bed status is updated at the admissions desk to help maximize patient flow. As a result, staff is always aware of the status of each bed in the hospital. Because Dalcon Alert helps ensure better patient flow from admissions to patient rooms, bed turnover time is drastically reduced.
click to return to top of page
Remote Patient Monitoring
Remote Patient Monitoring allows for healthcare caregivers to constantly stay connected with patients, regardless of their location within the hospital. If blood pressure, heart rate, or other vitals veer above or below set parameters, an alert message is sent to a pre-assigned caregiver’s Wireless Telephone so prioritization and appropriate action can be taken.
Healthcare organizations are often challenged with a multitude of systems creating alarm conditions that are essentially “islands of information.” Lack of integrated and efficient communication typically results in major gaps in the flow of critical information. Dalcon Alert bridges these disparate systems to provide seamless communication and event-driven connectivity, particularly at the point-of-care.
Benefits of Dalcon’s Remote Patient Monitoring
- Receive immediate patient data notifications and deliver care in a matter of seconds rather than minutes
- Manage staff strategically as patients can be monitored from multiple departments and areas within the hospital
- Distribute vital patient data to multiple care givers in and OUT of the hospital
- Address JCAHO Goal #16
In accordance with the JCAHO 2009 National Patient Safety Goals, the implementation of the Dalcon Remote Patient Monitoring solution positions the community hospital to more successfully achieve the following goals:
Goal #16 – Improve Recognition and Response to Changes in a Patient’s Condition
NPSG.16.01.01 – The [organization] selects a suitable method that enables health care staff members to directly request additional assistance from a specially trained individual(s) when the [patient]’s condition appears to be worsening. (Elements 2 & 5)
To learn more about Dalcon’s Remote Patient Monitoring, call 877.938-6439
click to return to top of page
Never Events and HAC's
Effective Oct 1, 2008, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) requires all Medicare participating hospitals to disclose all hospital acquired conditions (HAC). In addition to the disclosure requirement, CMS has stated that is will not reimburse hospitals for any of the additional costs brought on by an HAC.
At the extreme end of HAC’s are the so called “Never Events” which should “never happen in a hospital.” If a Never event occurs at a hospital, the hospital will be denied complete reimbursement of that event. Also, hospitals are prohibited from passing charges from HAC’s and Never Events on to the patient.
Because the hospital now is forced to foot the bill for these events, they pose a great liability for the hospital that must be limited. The HAC’s listed in number 8 below are all Never Events, thus hospital’s have sole liability for their costs.
Hospital Acquired Condition (HAC) Definition
HAC’s are defined as preventable conditions that the patient did not have upon entering the hospital, but gained while in custody of the hospital. The list below of HAC’s has been identified by CMS, and any additional costs brought on by these HAC’s such as extra inpatient days spent at a hospital will be denied reimbursement by CMS.
Never Events Definition
A Never Event is a more serious HAC defined by the National Quality Forum (NQF) as, “errors in medical care that are clearly identifiable, preventable, and serious in their consequences for patients, and that indicate a real problem in the safety and credibility of a health care facility.” The list of Never Events below has been identified by CMS and any reimbursement sought for these events will be denied.
List of Never Events covered under the FY 2009 provision
- Object left in patient during surgery
- Air embolism
- Blood incompatibility
- Catheter-associated urinary tract infection
- Pressure ulcers
- Vascular-catheter-associated infection
- Surgical site infection (specifically mediastinitis after coronary artery bypass graft surgery)
- Hospital-acquired injury due to external causes (fractures, dislocations, intracranial injury, crushing injury, burns, and other unspecified effects)
The Number 8 never event, Patient Falls, is one which has received much attention over recent years. As noted in the white paper “An Assessment of Falls in Patient Rooms: And Methods of Prevention,” the frequency and severity of falls is of great concern and cost.
Preventing “Patient Fall” Never Events
While fall risk awareness and fall-prevention training can certainly help, the reality is, a nurse cannot do anything to help prevent a fall if they don’t immediately know that the patient is beginning to move in a high-risk manner. For example:
- Patient is beginning to get out of bed
- Patient is beginning to get out of a chair
- Patient is in urgent need to go to the toilet
Standard nurse call systems and bed fall alert beeper systems often do not accomplish the task of communicating these specific situations to the responsible caregiver in a position to help.
Today, new systems are becoming available, such as Dalcon Alert! which, when combined with fall alert sensors, can get the pending danger to the right caregiver quickly regardless of the caregiver’s location.