Richmond’s hospital could be one of several facilities set to get a new sepsis alert system, according to a news post by Vancouver Coastal Health.
Sepsis is a potentially deadly complication that can arise from any infection. It happens when fighting an infection triggers a full-body inflammatory response that damages tissue and organs.
According to the Canadian Sepsis Foundation, one in every 18 deaths in Canada is related to sepsis. It affects about 30,000 Canadians every year, and about one-third of them will die if they don't receive treatment, according to the Canadian Patient Safety Institute.
The condition comes with a hefty price tag, costing the country about $325 million every year.
But clinicians and researchers are hoping to reduce that by rolling out a new tool that will alert health care staff when a patient shows warning signs of sepsis.
The new Clinical and Systems Transformation Project, part of a new Cerner clinical information system coming to VCH hospitals in the next few years, uses an algorithm called St. John’s Sepsis Surveillance Agent.
Nurses and lab staff enter patient information throughout the day into system, and its algorithm sends electronic notifications to health care staff if it notices red flags for sepsis.
It’s hoped that early intervention can save lives, since getting antibiotics on board early is very important.
A previous version of this story stated that the alert system has been announced in Richmond, however a spokesperson for Vancouver Coastal Health said in an email to the News that they do not have a timeline for when Richmond General Hospital will be getting the new system. VCH's website noted the system would be rolled out across Coastal Health in the coming years. They declined to make anyone available for an interview.
The next two facilities moving to the new Cerner platform service are Providence Health Care and the BC Cancer Agency.
