Brookings Health System Invests in Patients’ Health & Comfort with New Vital Signs Monitor Equipment

Brookings, S.D. – March 4, 2013 – Brookings Health System recently updated the hospital’s vital signs monitoring equipment. This new technology provides hospital staff with critical patient information in an instant, says Kelly Maser, Respiratory Care Supervisor. 

“The technology cuts the time we have to wait for results. By simply clipping the probe to a patient’s finger, we are able to monitor vital signs, including ones which previously required a blood draw and lab work,” said Maser of the non-invasive technology that monitors a patient’s oxygen saturation, pulse rate, respiratory rate, hemoglobin, carbon monoxide levels and much more.

“The new vital signs technology provides hospital staff with critical information to diagnose a patient’s condition quicker, giving us more time to respond to a patient’s health care needs,” he said.

Like the system it replaced, the new technology collects all data through a finger probe. Once the probe is clipped to a patient’s finger, vital signs are collected through sensors within the probe.

“Overall, the system allows our clinicians to make faster, more accurate decisions, which can save time and lives,” Maser said. “The updated technology is also cost effective, because it reduces the amount of lab work which needs to be processed.”

The new technology has wireless capabilities enabling all Brookings Health System patients to wear the finger probe continuously, in some cases before they arrive at the hospital. Ambulances are also equipped with a mobile vital signs monitoring unit, giving paramedics and emergency department health care providers critical information to better care for patients.

To learn more about Brookings Health System’s hospital and full line of services, please visit www.brookingshealth.org.  

About Brookings Health System

Brookings Health System, located in Brookings, South Dakota, includes a 49-bed hospital, the 79-bed Brookview Manor nursing home, and Brookhaven Estates apartments. It is a non-profit, city-owned facility that offers the community a full range of inpatient, outpatient, and extended care services. The emergency room is staffed 24 hours a day and provides around the clock medical-nursing care for patient needs ranging from minor injuries to life threatening crises. For more information about the services offered at Brookings Health System, please call (605) 696-9000 or visit us on the Web at brookingshealth.org.