Enabling Information Flow Between Medical Devices and EHRs

A connectivity architecture solution connects medical devices to electronic health records (EHRs) to support the entire care process, enabling bidirectional data sharing between medical devices and the patient record.

The Cerner CareAware iBus solution provides true plug-and-play capabilities for connecting any medical device to any EHR system. Once a device is connected to the iBus solution, it is immediately recognized and can begin transmitting data to the EHR. This connectivity architecture places the EHR at the center of all information created and stored on the patient. The solution also allows waveform data to be transmitted directly into the EHR, and provides the ability to correlate and trend various sources of information including various waveforms, heart rate, and blood pressure. This trending information allows clinicians to analyze the patient's data in the context of other clinically relevant data for a specific period.

The CareAware iBus solution improves clinician workflow and patient safety by reducing the need for clinicians to manually enter device data into the EHR, allowing clinicians to spend more time on patient care and reducing the chance for transcription-related errors; decreasing the chance of medication errors related to intravenous (IV) infusion via direct association of the patient, the infusion pump, and the provider's order from the EHR; helping clinicians make informed decisions about patient care by providing them with access to up-to-date information about patient status gathered from multiple medical devices; providing the ability to automatically perform calculations on data being provided by medical devices; and reducing the amount of time clinicians spend on patient-to-device association.

The Cerner CareAware iBus solution also allows a healthcare organization to efficiently manage the various medical devices deployed throughout its facilities. Information technology (IT) teams can use the solution to monitor device performance, connectivity status, and device utilization, all within one view. The Cerner CareAware iBus solution is a product of Cerner (Kansas City, MO, USA), and has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

"The CareAware iBus solution is an interoperable platform developed in conjunction with our clients and certified device partners to create a standard for medical device connectivity, interoperability, and workflow transformation,” said Tom Herzog, Cerner vice president for IT and healthcare devices.

Related Links:
Cerner