eFocus: Innovating Patient Care

When your loved one is in the Intensive Care Unit, it is a stressful time.  You want to know that he or she will receive the best medical care and closest observation. 

As part of our ongoing Quality Initiative, Alegent Health offers a second layer of care, officially named eFocus, to its intensive care patients.  Alegent Health has partnered with the industry leader, VISICU, to implement its eICU® program.

eFocus represents innovation at its highest level and is the most advanced pairing of high quality patient care and technology in critical medicine.  It has been repeatedly shown in systems that have implemented eFocus technology that with the extra level of vigilance – patient mortality is significantly reduced, patient outcomes are significantly improved and length of stay is reduced.

How does Alegent Health eFocus work?

Using computers and sophisticated technology, a trained physician along with critical care nurses can accurately monitor ICU patients from an off-site location.  The eFocus Monitoring Center is staffed 24 hours a day by a multidisciplinary critical care team.

How does my doctor work with the Alegent Health eFocus team?

Your physician designates the level of care he or she wishes to delegate to the eFocus team.  This may range from monitoring to fully implementing the care plan as ordered by your physician.  In all instances, the ICU and eFocus care teams are available to respond to emergent issues as they arise.  Regardless of the circumstances, the eFocus team communicates frequently with your physician about the medical care plan.

How does the Alegent Health eFocus team deliver medical care?

Vital signs, medications, blood test results, X-rays and other information from the bedside monitors are sent to the eFocus Monitoring Center by private high-speed data lines.  This information is displayed on computers exactly as you see it in the hospital room for the doctors and nurses to view.  Patients can be examined through the use of special cameras if necessary and the eFocus team can talk directly with the hospital doctors and nurses.

The team also has powerful computer systems that continuously analyze the information and alerts them to possible problems.  This early warning software allows the staff to recognize possible complications more quickly, before they become severe.    

The combination of the nurses and doctors in the hospital ICU and the eFocus team provides the best possible care. 

How can I be sure my loved one’s private health information is protected?

Several measures have been taken:
• Access to information is limited to those with hospital authorization
• Information is not released to anyone other than those providing medical care.
• No recording is ever made from either the camera or microphone
• Sending patient information to and from eFocus occurs only over private connections. 

Although new technology is used to assist medical care, it will never replace human interaction.  Alegent Health knows the importance of a warm touch, a sense of caring and face-to-face communication with doctors and nurses in the healing process.   Rest assured, nurses will always be present in the ICU and available to provide immediate care for your loved one.