Doctors and nurses at Noble’s Hospital in the Isle of Man will be able to take action more quickly when patients show signs of worsening conditions when a new digital observations, early warning and alerting system is introduced.

The Patientrack system allows nurses to take electronic observations at the bedside, and then automatically calculates early warning scores and alerts clinicians directly so that they can intervene when necessary.

Patientrack has been selected by the Isle of Man Government’s Department of Health and Social Care in collaboration with Treasury Procurement and with the support of Government Technology Services. The system will be introduced in phases across the hospital, and pilot wards will start using it shortly.

Dr Keki Madon, a clinical lead on the project and Consultant Anaesthetist at Noble’s Hospital, said: “Patientrack’s demonstrable track record at other sites in the UK is important. We want a proven system which has been shown to meet the needs of clinicians and patients in an acute healthcare setting. The technology will be configured to respond to clinical requirements and will allow us to move to digital observations and automatic alerts; meaning that frontline staff can spend more of their time directly caring for patients.”

Linda Radcliffe, Chief Nurse for the Isle of Man, said: "The Health Inspection Fund set up by the Isle of Man Government will support the introduction of this new system. It produces national early warning scores electronically, and that will help clinical teams in the early recognition and treatment of patients whose condition is deteriorating. This funding shows commitment to an important patient safety initiative."

Patientrack is being used by a growing number of hospitals, including NHS trusts and health boards across the UK. The technology has also been applied in innovative ways to tackle serious conditions including venous thromboembolism, sepsis and acute kidney failure.

Donald Kennedy, Managing Director at Patientrack said: “The dedication and commitment that healthcare professionals show to continually improving patient safety means that we are finding more opportunities than ever to collaborate with forward thinking hospitals. This latest project with Noble’s Hospital is a great example of a hospital providing frontline staff with the tools they need to deliver even better and safer care.”