Electronic Intensive Care Unit (eICU)
With OhioHealth's innovative electronic intensive care unit system, we’ve added another layer of safety, expertise and proactive care to hospital intensive care units.
These benefits come from an additional group of specialists, called intensivists, who monitor our patients closely to detect the slightest changes in their conditions — often without ever seeing them in person.
How Our eICU Works
OhioHealth’s eICU currently serves Riverside Methodist Hospital, Doctors Hospital, Grady Memorial Hospital, Dublin Methodist Hospital, Marion General Hospital, Hardin Memorial Hospital, O'Bleness Hospital, Mansfield Hospital, Shelby Hospital, Berger Hospital and Morrow County Hospital.
At these locations, board-certified intensivists — physicians who specialize in caring for critically ill patients — work in a control center instead of patients’ rooms. They observe the patient’s progress minute by minute, 24/7, using video, audio and vital sign monitors.
This kind of constant observation can pick up small changes in the patient’s status. When that happens, the eICU intensivist alerts our ICU physicians and nurses, who take corrective action right away. Studies show that this close monitoring and quick response saves lives, reduces complications and helps patients recover faster.
Built-in Privacy
Technology is key to eICU, and the system uses microphones, video cameras, alarms and other monitoring tools to observe the patient and send the information to the control center. The camera is located above the door in each room. To preserve privacy for the patient and family, the lens faces the wall and is only turned toward the patient periodically. In addition, the equipment has no recording capabilities.
Coordinated Care
The OhioHealth ICU physician remains in charge of your loved-one’s care and determines how much the eICU team will be involved — from round-the-clock monitoring to consultation to providing treatment. No matter what level of support they contribute, the eICU intensivists coordinate closely with the patient’s physician to make sure they’re carrying out the designated treatment plan.
The eICU system delivers a level of expertise and vigilance that few hospitals in the nation can match. For OhioHealth, it’s just another example of our continuing commitment to quality patient care.