Welch Allyn Literally Takes Medica’s Pulse

The organizers of the Media medical trade show in Dusseldorf, Germany, pride themselves on the number of people attending their annual event. With more than 130,000 visitors from across the globe, the numbers of exhibitor and attendees indeed are staggering. But how healthy is this steadfast group of healthcare show-goers?

One Medica exhibitor will attempt to shed some light on that questions—as well as showcase the accuracy of its technology. Welch Allyn, a provider of medical diagnostic devices headquartered in Skaneateles Falls, N.Y., will use its devices and data management systems to “assess the health of Medica.”

Trained personnel at the company’s booth (Hall 9, E15) will capture and document (anonymously) vital signs data of attendees who visit its booth during show hours and will publish the aggregate results after the event. The final report will create a picture of the overall health of Medica attendees.

“This week at Medica we’ll be using our devices to demonstrate how they can improve the process of capturing patients’ vital signs and streamline data management,” said Pascal Gand, vice president, Europe and Middle East Sales and Marketing at Welch Allyn. “The technology we build into our products is derived from clinicians’ demands. Our customers often cite problems like data transmission errors, time spent on documenting vital signs and patient safety as threats to their patients and their workflow. We think our solutions can provide a cure for what is ailing healthcare, and we’re putting those to the test at Medica.”

Welch Allyn makes several connected devices designed to provide remedies to common healthcare issues such as inaccuracy, poor data management and inefficient workflow.

By using its Connex Electronic Vitals Documentation (EVD) System to capture and document vital signs of attendees at Medica, the company will demonstrate how patient data can be transmitted immediately to an electronic medical record as it is measured. This all-in-one solution enables improvements in patient safety and clinical decision-making and helps to reduce risk for facilities, according to officials at the show. The system provides clinicians in general care settings with immediate access to accurate vital signs at any time from any location.

Included in the Connex EVD System is the Connex Vital Signs Monitor (VSM), a full-color, touch-screen device that acts as three devices in one–providing comprehensive patient documentation on a single display. This documentation includes automatic measurements such as heart rate, blood pressure, temperature and pulse oximetry, which the company will gather from Medica attendees. It also can capture manual parameters such as respiration, height, weight and pain level and modifiers such as body position, oxygen therapy details and others. The Connex VSM can be set up in spot-checking, monitoring or triage mode depending upon a healthcare facility’s needs.

The company’s new FlexiPort EcoCuff, a single-patient-use, disposable blood pressure cuff that helps to reduce costs, cross-contamination and environmental impact, will be used to measure attendees’ blood pressure. Designed to have 60 percent less environmental impact than a traditional blood pressure cuff, the EcoCuff uses less material; is made with 100 percent polypropylene material; and does not contain harmful chemicals such as BPA, DEHP, Latex or PVC. And, as part of the FlexiPort line of blood pressure cuffs, the EcoCuff uses a single-point connection that enables virtually any device to work with the cuff without the need for traditional tubes and connectors.

Welch Allyn also is featuring its new iExaminer (photo above) at Medica. The device (Welch Allyn bought the license to the technology from Intuitive Medical Technologies) integrates the eye exam technology of the company’s PanOptic ophthalmoscope with a hardware adapter for the iPhone and an iPhone application to make remote eye imaging possible and help improve patient knowledge and compliance, another ill facing the healthcare industry. The PanOptic features patented optical technology that creates a viewing area of the fundus (interior surface of the eye opposite the lens) and retinal nerve in an un-dilated pupil that is five-times larger than that of a traditional ophthalmoscope and increases magnification by 26 percent to more easily see retinal details, according to the company. The device currently is pending clearance by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. It has CE Mark approval in Europe.

The iExaminer captures and transmits the retinal images created by the PanOptic for easier image documentation and allows physicians to save images to a patient file, as well as e-mail and print the images to share with patients and colleagues.

“If patient information is missing or incorrect it can compromise decision-making and puts not only the patient at risk, but the facility as well,” added Gand. “With Welch Allyn solutions, like the Connex EVD System and iExaminer, healthcare providers are able to spend less time on paperwork and more time with patients, ultimately leading to increased staff and patient satisfaction and improved care, all which ultimately improve a facility’s bottom line.”