HCA Healthcare Magazine - Winter 2019 - 9

"Just as
we've improved
safety in our
homes with
smoke detectors
that 'sniff out'
possible fires,
HCA Healthcare's
SPOT technology
now helps
detect sepsis
earlier."
-Jonathan B. Perlin, MD,
President, Clinical
Services and Chief
Medical Officer,
HCA Healthcare

from millions of patient visits and compares it to data
on current patients as entered in real time. "SPOT is
designed to monitor available data every moment of
every day, and when combinations of lab data that are
consistent with sepsis are detected, the system responds
by alerting clinicians so they can more quickly intervene
with potentially lifesaving treatment," explains Dr. Perlin.
This is vital because the likelihood of dying from
sepsis rises by 4% to 7% for every hour that it goes
undetected. "With SPOT, we're identifying at least
one-third more cases of sepsis that would not previously
have come to caregivers' attention until it was too late,"
says Dr. Perlin.
SPOT has already been used with more than
2.5 million patients and, along with other researchbased practices, it has helped save 8,000 lives in the last
five years.
"SPOT does not make decisions," adds Dr. Michael
Nottidge, critical care medical director at our TriStar
Centennial Medical Center. "It brings vital, accurate
and up-to-date information to the people who do
make decisions."
Our Destiny With Data
SPOT is the first of many ways that we are leveraging
data at scale in real time to drive discovery and
improvement of care. Our clinical teams and IT experts
are already working to improve on SPOT, which was rolled
out in inpatient settings, for use in the emergency room.
We also plan to use machine learning and artificial
intelligence to more quickly detect other critical or
life-threatening conditions, such as shock in trauma
patients, post-operative complications and early signs of
deterioration in all patients.
"Speaking from personal experience, SPOT is a lifesaving
tool, and I know our patients are in better hands because
we have it," says Sabrina, the RN in Overland Park, Kan.,
who fought sepsis. "I'm so grateful for the quick response
because, without it, I'm not sure I would have survived."
This is one reason she wants to inspire her HCA Healthcare
colleagues to welcome this and other innovations that have
their roots in big data.
"I want to advise nurses to not ignore the amazing
technology we have at our fingertips. Use technology.
Embrace it." ■

SEPSIS
BY THE NUMBERS

Source: Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC)
Sepsis is more deadly than breast cancer,
prostate cancer and AIDS-combined.

1 in 3 patients who die
in the hospital have sepsis.

1.7M U.S. adults develop sepsis

annually.

270,000 Americans die
from sepsis each year.

SPOT
BY THE NUMBERS
In conjunction with other evidencebased practices, SPOT has helped save
thousands of lives.

8,000 of our patients have

been saved with the help of SPOT and
evidence-based practices.

2.5M patients have already
been monitored with SPOT.

ABATE
BY THE NUMBERS
The ABATE trial has shown that daily
bathing with antiseptic soap (and, for
MRSA patients, using an antibiotic nasal
spray) has significant benefits for patients
with medical devices, resulting in:

40% decrease in

antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

31% decrease in

bloodstream infections.

HCA Healthcare Magazine | 9

HCA Healthcare Magazine - Winter 2019

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