HSJ Awards 2015: Improving care with technology

Portsmouth Hospitals Trust – Improving clinical outcomes using technology 

An electronic physiological surveillance system developed by Portsmouth Hospitals Trust has been credited with saving 769 lives at two hospitals in a single year.

VitalPAC was created with an industry partner to improve the reliability, accuracy, availability and clinical impact of patients’ vital sign and early warning score records.

Using handheld devices, the software guides nurses through the process of recording vital signs before calculating an early warning score. 

It then advises when the next observation is required, as well as the need for any escalation of care. 

Initially deployed throughout Portsmouth Hospital Trust in 2009, the system is now used by another 45 NHS organisations. 

Data produced by VitalPAC is used by the Portsmouth Clinical Outcomes Research Group, established in 2012, to improve patient care. 

Research showed that the introduction of VitalPAC was associated with falls in crude hospital mortality from 7.8 per cent to 6.4 per cent in one hospital, and from 7.6 per cent to 6.2 per cent at another. 

Every month, more than 20,000 nurses across 45 hospitals are using VitalPAC. 

The system is now being used for screening of venous thromboembolism prophylaxis, indwelling devices, dementia, alcohol consumption, nutrition and MRSA. 

Judges hailed an “excellent, proven and user friendly solution”.