By Derek Schlennstedt
Around the clock monitoring will soon be available for children in Angliss Hospital’s emergency department, thanks to a donation from Dandenong Ranges Community Bank Group.
Two vital signs monitors have been purchased using an $8,700 donation from the group and will be dedicated to paediatric patients.
Emergency Department Nurse Unit Manager, Heather Steen said the monitors are a welcome addition to the equipment available.
“We currently have four monitors but these new monitors will remain solely in the paediatric short- stay unit, which is great news for staff, patients and their families.”
Ms Steen said the monitors will be particularly useful for those with respiratory conditions.
“We see a lot of children with respiratory problems, and these units will allow us to measure their oxygen saturations continuously and more accurately. It is very stressful for parents and sick children to be disturbed during the night to have spot checks of their oxygen saturations and heart rates.
“Having these units will mean we can attach the sensor to the sick children and leave the sensor on all the time while the child is asleep.”
Having dedicated monitors will also lower the risk of delays in monitoring, as staff will not be sharing the use of four monitors between all patients in the emergency department.
“It means our nursing staff won’t need to leave the short stay unit to find the monitor, or wait for it to be available if they are all in use.”
The monitors offer advanced vital signs technology, an easy to use colour touchscreen and are integrated with the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) to provide clinicians with immediate access to the information they need.
Dandenong Ranges Community Bank Group Chairman, John Waters, was thrilled that the bank was able to assist Angliss Hospital with additional monitors.
“We are very pleased to be able to offer to purchase this vital equipment for the Angliss Hospital. As a parent I understand the trepidation that parents feel when their child is in hospital and these additional monitors will help alleviate some of the stress.
“Angliss Hospital services residents in our catchment, we have branches in Upwey, Belgrave and Cockatoo, and this donation is just another way of giving back to our customers,” Mr Waters said.
