We can’t be everywhere at once. There’s never enough time in the day. Rounding -- especially in the long-term care community -- just isn’t what it used to be. Every nurse knows this, and these are thoughts we, as nurses, seem to all have quite often these days.

 

Thankfully, there are tools and technology to give us insight into our residents and patients, but there are times when it just doesn’t feel like enough. Even the best analytics platforms and algorithms can’t replace a dedicated nurse’s clinical eye -- double-checking prescriptions, looking for even the subtlest changes in a patient’s vital signs, reviewing labs and ensuring the right antibiotic was prescribed.

 

This is true of all nurses, but particularly for long-term care nurses. We know our residents; we know their families. We recognize the small signs when something’s “off” -- things that even the smartest algorithm can’t predict. Sometimes it just takes a nurse. Unfortunately, nursing homes are facing staffing shortages now more than ever due to COVID-19, and nurses are wearing more hats than ever before. Even though infection prevention and control efforts are top priorities, finding someone to lead IPC efforts - in addition to all their other clinical, administrative and other additional duties - can be difficult.

 

Well, we’ve got your back (virtually, of course). We recently launched an initiative called “Virtual Rounding” that gives you the unprecedented access into your residents’ EMR combined with the peace of mind of clinical rounding. Virtual Rounding is about the people; not just the platform.

 

Using science, technology and - perhaps most importantly - experience, our clinical team accesses EMR data, reviewing every patient’s medical record every 24 hours. We compare recent and historic vital signs. We analyze antibiotic orders to ensure regulatory compliance. We review recent labs to ensure antibiotic effectiveness and we verify documentation for antibiotic therapy. Any residents who trigger an infection risk are elevated to you. We follow up within three days to confirm your staff responded, and critical issues are immediately brought to administration's attention.

 

A few early use cases include finding antibiotics prescribed for symptoms rather than a diagnosis, discovering a resident’s prescribed a gene-resistant antibiotic and uncovering the need for staff education and competency check-offs from a trend alert with several UTIs in a 24-hour period.

 

Nurses can’t be everywhere all the time. We can help you prioritize patient needs and make realistic care plan recommendations using EMR data you already have and integrating with any analytics platform you have.

 

Every day is a battle to protect your residents from infection outbreaks and your nurses and other healthcare heroes are on the front lines. Arm them with the tools to win.

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To learn more about getting more from your EMR data and analytics platforms from an experienced clinician, contact AMS today. 

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