ObservSMART Launches Two New Modules

Current issues in psychiatric care settings often include inaccurate rounding practices: missed or falsified observations on patients, or what is often referred to as a Q15 check. Although this can be affected by many factors, it is extremely dangerous to patients, staff, and the organization overall.

The ObservSMART patient safety and compliance solution was developed to streamline important documentation, improve communication, and increase patient safety in high-risk settings. Using Bluetooth proximity, ObservSMART validates Q15 minute, 1:1’s and any other timely patient observations, helping to proactively mitigate risk and sentinel events with real-time alerts and escalation. Two new features, Vitals and Detox Documentation and Nurse Rounds, further enhance ObservSMART’s ability to support staff workflow and daily tasks related to patient care.

Monitor Vitals and Detox Scale Scores Digitally

ObservSMART’s Vitals and Detox Documentation works as a digital, proximity-based tool for vital signs and detox scale assessment charting. Just like documenting Q15 patient safety checks in ObservSMART, impending patient vital signs or detox scale assessments appear on the staff tablet in order of priority. Vitals intervals, ranges and frequencies, and the type of detox scale assessment can be customized to each patient.

Clinicians and staff use tablets to record vitals and detox scale measurements for each patient. The last measurement taken is stored in the patient’s record, allowing staff to visualize changes right away. Additionally, each patient record has a tab for in-app reporting, detailing the last six vitals’ measurements and the last four detox scale assessments, allowing clinicians to identify trends proactively. With customizable alerts for missed and out-of-range vital signs, staff can be notified when there is something that needs to be shared with the nursing staff or physician and escalated appropriately.

Doctor holding tablet

Nurse Rounds in Practice with ObservSMART

While it is common for a mental health technician to round every 15 minutes, nurse rounds are typically done every hour. However, this interval can vary depending on the type of care involved. For instance, a patient who is detoxing and stabilizing in a substance recovery facility may be rounded on by a nurse every 15 minutes, as this is an extremely vulnerable and often dangerous time in a patient’s journey.

Nurse Rounds with ObservSMART will provide a reminder for nurses to begin and complete their rounds within a designated window of time – all rounding windows are customizable by leadership, who can also assign nurses to specific groups of patients. In line with the ObservSMART core functionality, the nurse must be within a pre-determined proximity to the patient to complete the observation. Nurse rounds in ObservSMART can be independent of standard observations or count as the standard observation.

All documentation in ObservSMART is time-stamped and stored for real-time and retrospective reporting and analysis, allowing for a more comprehensive view into the patient’s journey and care provided over time.

Staff members communicating regarding a patient chart via tablet.

Improve Rounding Practices, Decrease Events

Standardizing important documentation protocols with technology provides clinicians and nursing leadership with valuable tools that can help to create workflow efficiencies, decrease duplicate documentation, allow for documentation at the point of care and improve both staff and patient engagement. Utilizing the ObservSMART solution for documenting crucial patient observations has been proven to promote proactive rounding practices and reduce adverse events.

With the addition of nurse rounds and vitals and detox documentation, ObservSMART is here to help your organization maintain the highest patient safety standards. Learn more here.