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Customer Story
A Success Story from East IMCU Unit of Northside Hospital System
Empowering Glycemic Management with EndoTool
Image L-R: Kelli Cox MSN, RN, CNRN, CNML, Manager, East PCU, Ivori Miller, BSN, RN, Clinician East PCU, Dr. James Lee, Physician Lead Inpatient Internal Medicine & EndoTool Team
The Customer
For over 50 years, Northside Hospital has been providing exceptional healthcare to the residents of Georgia. The network boasts five acute-care hospitals, more than 300 outpatient facilities, 3,700 providers, and 29,000 staff members.
Before the integration of EndoTool Glucose Management System, Northside faced significant challenges in managing insulin and tracking performance improvement data effectively. Manual calculations led to inefficiencies and left room for mathematical errors and potential for incorrect dosing.
The decision to adopt EndoTool was driven by the need for a more reliable and efficient solution to manage IV insulin, especially for cardiovascular surgery patients. The goal was to reduce the risk of hypoglycemia and eliminate the need for manual dose calculations.
Multidisciplinary collaboration crucial to successful implementation
Integrating EndoTool into Northside's existing systems and workflows was a concerted effort involving critical care teams, clinicians, pharmacy staff, IT professionals, diabetes educators, and providers.
This multidisciplinary approach was crucial to the successful implementation of EndoTool, despite challenges such as aligning EMR orders and setting parameters. Through dedication and collaboration, the team established best practices that paved the way for a smoother transition.
“Implementation of EndoTool streamlined a complex insulin paper order process, subsequently enhancing patient care and boosting physician satisfaction. Ultimately, optimizing treatment decisions and outcomes.”
Dr James S. Lee, MD
Physician Lead Inpatient Internal Medicine, Northside Hospital Gwinnet
Comprehensive training and super user identification
The adoption of EndoTool has been positively received by clinical staff across the Northside Hospital System. The initial learning curve was overcome with comprehensive training and support from Monarch Medical Technologies and the establishment of unit Super Users. This facilitated a smoother transition and helped staff feel more confident in using the software, with a unanimous preference over previous manual processes.
Enhancing patient outcomes with continuous improvement and real-time data
Since implementing EndoTool, East IMCU Northside has observed improvements in patient outcomes and seen significant operational enhancements. With better access to analytics, increased accuracy in dosing, and a reduction in deviations from recommended dosing.
With 1,784 runs system-wide in 2023, East IMCU Northside saw:
- Streamlined workflow, with an increased time between readings of 1.34 hours, compared to an hourly requirement on paper-based protocols.
- Significant advancement in diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) management, achieving an average time to treatment goal of 4.9 hours, outperforming an EndoTool average of 5.4 hours.
- Nursing staff efficiency highlighted by 89.9% of readings being completed on time, ensuring timely and efficient patient care.
The East IMCU, under the leadership of Dr. James Lee, has shown exemplary performance, especially in continuous improvement and education regarding EndoTool's use with tube-fed patients.
“It took a lot of education with the front-end users feeling confident, but if you ask if they would go back to a paper protocol the answer is always no.”
Ellen Roberson BSN, RN, CDCES
Clinical Coordinator, Diabetes & Nutrition Education
Building a foundation for continued success
The most valued aspect of Northside's experience with EndoTool is its built-in safety features and alerts, which have played a pivotal role in reducing errors.
The success story of Northside Hospital System with EndoTool serves as a compelling recommendation for other healthcare institutions. With plans to expand the use of EndoTool system-wide and integrate subcutaneous features, Northside is setting a new standard for glycemic management and patient care.