The electronic intensive care unit (eICU)

An intensive care unit, (ICU), is often regarded by patients and families as one of the safest, highest quality, areas of the hospital. And in fact, it is. However, patients in intensive care often experience complex conditions where subtle changes in their care must be made quickly to insure the best outcomes.

Now at all Advocate Hospitals.

At Advocate Health Care, our goal is to continuously improve patient outcomes whenever possible. And thanks to the latest in technology, we are proud to introduce Advocate's eICU® Care.

• How does Advocate's eICU® Care improve my treatment?
• Don't most hospitals already have 24-hour care?

Advocate's electronic ICU, or eICU®, does not replace bedside care, but uses advanced information technology to enhance the ability of our existing critical care staff. Electronic monitoring acts as "an extra set of eyes" when checking key vital signs or assisting bedside teams when decisions need to be made quickly - often in the middle of the night.

With Advocate's eICU® Care we can save more lives and improve outcomes for many more critically ill patients.

• Who staffs the eICU®?
• What is an intensivist and what do they do?
• Will the eICU® take my doctor away from my bedside?
• With the eICU® who's in charge of my care?

This is the most advanced way of providing the standard of care that every intensive care patient deserves. Advocate's eICU® Care is now available at all Advocate hospitals.

• What about patient privacy?
• Is the eICU® proven to work?

How does Advocate's eICU® Care improve my treatment?
Advocate's eICU® Care assures you that you will have an experienced intensive care team, specially trained in critical care medicine, monitoring and contributing to your care on a pro-active basis 24-hours a day -- all in addition to the regular critical care team at your hospital bedside. This team -- both at the bedside and via remote monitoring -- will have full access to your patient record and your current medical data. If needed, our remote eICU® staff can visually monitor and speak with you, or your medical team, with an in-room videoconferencing system.

When medical conditions change in intensive care, it is because severely ill patients develop complications rapidly and with little warning. By providing an additional layer of continuous monitoring and management, Advocate's eICU® Care team can identify early warning signs and make timely changes to your care plan faster and thereby provide the most optimal care.

Don't most hospitals already have 24-hour care?
Hospitals have 24-hour nursing care, and in the ICU, a physician is available around the clock. However, "on-call" physicians are just that: waiting for a call that is precipitated by a change in the patient's status. While on-call physicians react quickly to emergencies, they can't always pro-actively review trends, look at your real-time vital signs, and make up-to-the-minute corrections in your plan of care.

That's the Advocate eICU® Care difference - an additional team of critical care physicians and nurses who are trained, alert, and focused on you. 24/7.

Who staffs the eICU®?
The eICU® is staffed by physicians -- called intensivists -- critical care nurses and health care assistants at Advocate Health Care. Staff will be available both at the bedside and remotely to monitor all 212 adult ICU beds across Advocate's eight Chicago area hospitals.

Advocate's eICU® will be lead by medical director, Michael Ries, M.D. and nursing director, Bobbi Hartman.

What is an intensivist and what do they do?
Intensivists are physicians with advanced certification and experience in critical care. Typically they have completed a fellowship in critical care after serving a residency in internal medicine, pulmonary medicine, anesthesia, or surgery.

Electronic ICU technology will enable Advocate's intensivists to reach more patients more often, continuously allowing them to be at multiple bedsides, and at a number of hospitals, at the same time.

Will the electronic ICU take my doctor away from my bedside?
No. Your physician will still see you at the hospital and be in charge of your care. On-site physicians, nurses and staff play a key role in your care and will continue to be there.

Critical care expertise at the bedside cannot be replaced; however, it can be enhanced. Advocate's eICU® care is simply that - an additional layer of safety and care.

With the eICU® who's in charge of my care?
Your own physician will still be in charge of your care. The Advocate eICU® Care staff is simply executing his/her plan of care when your doctor is not in the ICU. In fact, with Advocate's eICU® Care, your physician will be notified more quickly, because our staff can now pick up on subtle status changes that can be noticed sooner with continuous monitoring.

What about patient privacy?
Patient information is always kept secure and confidential at Advocate. The eICU® technology provides the highest level of electronic data security and meets the latest security and privacy recommendations of the federal government (HIPPA).

While there is a camera, speaker and microphone in each room, this communication system is only activated by request from the bedside nurse, or during prescribed "virtual rounds" by our eICU® doctors. It is readily apparent when the camera is activated -- it goes from pointing at the wall to pointing at the patient's bed -- and an audio signal is used to alert the nurse other staff and the patient when the system is on. There is no capability for recording of video or audio and patient privacy is respected when virtual rounds are required.

Is the eICU® proven to work?
Numerous studies have demonstrated that intensivist involvement in the care of ICU patients improves outcomes. Also, The Leapfrog Group (an association of Fortune 500 companies) has called for full-time intensivist staffing as one way to improve health care and safety of medical care in America.

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eICU® is a registered trademark of VISICU, Inc.