[Article] How to choose the best management system for your ICU: 5 essential criteria
The digitalization of intensive care medicine has profoundly transformed ICU operations. Nowadays, a management system (or software) is not just an administrative tool, but a central component for the safety, efficiency, and quality of care.
The experience accumulated by thousands of ICUs that use the Epimed Monitor system in more than 13 countries allows us to identify essential criteria that should guide this choice. Here, we present these five criteria below:
1. Integration with the hospital ecosystem
The ideal system should allow for manual, simplified data entry, as well as integrating seamlessly with other hospital systems, such as electronic medical records, laboratory, and microbiology. This interoperability reduces rework, improves data accuracy, and eases the information view in real-time.
In the context of ICUs, where data is vital for strategic decisions, quality of care, and the implementation of improvements, this fluidity is crucial.
2. Performance analysis and benchmarking
Solutions that incorporate modules for analyzing healthcare indicators, dashboards, and comparisons with highly qualified Brazilian benchmarks add strategic value. ICUs that regularly use benchmarking are able to make more assertive decisions and, consequently, show better results in adjusted mortality, length of stay, and rational use of resources.
Furthermore, continuous monitoring of indicators facilitates the early detection of care deviations and fosters continuous improvement, integrating managers and multidisciplinary teams into the decision-making process.
3. Usability and team usage
Much existing software has been designed for management and billing, not duly considering the needs of expert healthcare professionals. Poorly designed solutions lead to digital fatigue and low usage. Thus, the choice must consider an intuitive interface, which allows a short learning time, and the flexibility to adapt to the unit’s clinical needs.
Teams engaged in well-structured systems tend to record data better, use analytical resources more, and report adverse events more regularly.
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Lucas Garcia
Bruno Stefan