eRIC integrates patient data every minute from multiple systems and devices, supporting better clinical decision-making. There are specific eRIC versions available for Adult, Neonatal and Paediatric ICUs.
The Challenge
ICUs are high pressure environments and the most data-intensive part of any hospital. Eliminating the numerous, time-consuming paper forms required to monitor critically ill patients was a key priority to improve patient safety and provide better clinical decision-making.
Issues that had impacted paper-based systems for years – such as illegible handwriting, patient confidentiality, misplaced notes, limited accessibility of patient information and transcription errors – needed to be resolved.
NSW Health required a single digital clinical information system to support its ICUs and the critically ill patients they care for.
The Plan
To create eRIC, eHealth NSW needed to develop a system that promoted better clinical care through digital provision of information. Using human centred design principles, the team brought together more than 170 clinicians to help refine the state-wide adult ICU solution.
eRIC sought to promote best practice and standardise functional operations across all of NSW Health’s ICUs through a single design.
It focused on integration with bedside monitors, ventilators and other specialised equipment providing clinical data every minute. It also needed to integrate with ward systems to enable the transfer of medication management information.
The Outcome
The roll out of eRIC was the first time a statewide ICU clinical information system had been deployed anywhere in Australia. It’s also one of the largest in the world with 32 Adult Intensive Care Units (AICUs) live, 7 Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU) and 3 Paediatric Intensive Care Units (PICUs) going live as of April 2024. This equates to just over 900 beds live with eRIC across the state.
Clinicians and nurses can now access patient information from anywhere the eRIC application is deployed to a computer allowing them to focus on patient care rather than having to manage a multitude of paper documents.
The system is live with:
- 32 Adult Intensive Care Units
- 7 Neonatal Intensive Care/Special Care Nurseries
- 3 Paediatric Intensive Care Units.
The Benefits
Over 27,000 patients per year benefit from better quality, safer care with the introduction of eRIC.
eRIC supports clinicians by giving them improved access to prescribing information, pathology and imaging, policies and patient assessment charts.
Digitising medical information reduces the risk of transcription and clinical errors as well as improving clinical communication, clinical decision making and patient management processes. It also improves patient safety by embedding best-practice protocols, automating monitoring and reporting, and incorporating error alerts.
This standardised approach also sets the scene for the statewide ‘big data’ repository, greater opportunities for multi-centred participation, and increased potential for research and quality management improvements.
Information from eRIC is easily available for all to access from anywhere in the hospital. Pharmacists from outside the ICU can access the system and prepare medications and dispensing plans ahead of the patient’s transition to a general ward. They can also add recommendations for doctors, minimising potential medical incidents, and improving the quality use of medicine. Not only does this mean that clinicians have more time with patients and their families, but patient safety and health outcomes are also improved.
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