NEWS: UC Davis Health’s Anesthesia Department elevates patient care with cutting-edge innovations in the February Epic update

Anesthesiologist with bag at hospital UC Davis Health Anesthesia

By Kiki Godfrey. In February 2024, UC Davis Health’s Anesthesia Department is undergoing a transformative wave of improvements, including updating Epic, the hospital’s electronic medical records system. Spearheaded by Innovation Technology (at UC Davis, “IT” standards for “INNOVATION Technology vs INFORMATION Technology), the February Epic update is set to revolutionize workflow efficiency, empower clinicians with mobile flexibility, and highlight the institution’s unwavering dedication to sustainability and patient-centric care.

Five improvements to UC Davis Health’s patient care technologies

  1. Mobile management of phases and orders: Clinicians can now add and edit phases of care and associate order contexts for inpatient orders directly from iOS devices, providing flexibility and accessibility similar to Epic Hyperspace.
  2. Revamped anesthesia mobile experience: Haiku and Canto for iOS users now support pull-to-refresh and swipe-to-delete functionality for events and authentication activities, enhancing user experience and modernizing mobile interactions.
  3. Mobile anesthesia monitor views: Clinicians can seamlessly monitor patients during anesthesia procedures and rounding with the anesthesia monitor views in Haiku and Canto on iOS, accessing up-to-date patient information from anywhere.
  4. Sustainability focus: UC Davis Health introduces the anesthesia sustainability dashboard, displaying average fresh gas flow rates and estimated emissions, aligning with the organization’s commitment to green practices.
  5. Anesthesia reporting tool enhancements: Anesthesia start and end dates/times are now available in columns for easy reference, and searching for anesthesia records based on specific timeframes is streamlined. Individual patient anesthesia records are now conveniently viewable in the reporting tool, called SlicerDicer, providing comprehensive insights.

A real-world impact

In a critical scenario where a patient urgently requires anesthesia intervention, the revamped mobile experience and monitor views empower clinicians to make informed decisions on the go. These innovations exemplify how the Anesthesia Department’s technological advancements parallel the agility and responsiveness demanded in dynamic, real-world situations, ultimately leading to improved patient outcomes.

A vision for tomorrow’s anesthesia care

UC Davis Health’s Anesthesia Department’s February Epic update represents a significant step forward in anesthesia care. The streamlined features cater to the urgency of critical healthcare scenarios. The revamped mobile experience equips clinicians with a swift toolkit, much like a field reporter on the scene. These innovations signal a paradigm shift in adapting anesthesia care to the evolving healthcare landscape, emphasizing the importance of agility and innovation for improved patient outcomes and operational excellence.

Author

Kiki Godfrey
Communication Specialist
UC Davis Health