Have you HERD about the COWs?
Did you know that life-saving technology is hidden in plain sight throughout Island Health? At the end of 2021, you made it possible for a herd of Computers on Wheels (affectionately also known as COWs) to be purchased, elevating the quality of care at Island Health. COWs make it possible for nurses to move their computer station from room to room as they take vitals and monitor a patient’s status from the bedside. COWs also keeps nurses mobile with the most up-to-date information on their patient’s care needs. Medical staff can monitor vital changes, medication needs and so much more as they make their rounds, all while spending more time at the bedside of each patient.
Making Vital Technology Portable
Every patient requires the undivided attention of their care team. In order to do that, efficiencies become crucial. Traditional vital sign monitors are stationary to one room, meaning that a patient’s vital signs are monitored from that room and a nurse’s station. Until now.
Your support has allowed for the purchase of 15 portable vital sign monitors that allow nurses to take and monitor vital signs for multiple patients from one portable machine. A portable vital sign monitor allows nurses to constantly monitor their patients and react with faster response times to changes in the patient’s condition.
These pieces of equipment add a new level of efficiency to the care medical staff provide. Some patients have complicated medication needs, treatment plans and other challenges to care. Giving nurses mobile access to the patient’s chart and vital signs allows them to spend more time with the patient and less time traveling to and from a nurses’ station to input and retrieve patient data. Through your support, Island Health nurses have portable bedside access to the information they need to treat and support patients.
Your impact travels and moves all around Island Health through the portable vital sign monitors and Computers on Wheels. That same impact touches countless patients every day and makes it possible for them to receive more quality care at their bedside. Thank you for supporting the technology that hides in plain sight, but makes a powerful impact on patients and care teams at Island Health.