UpToDate will be used to improve the quality of care provided by HDH, and will also support the professional development of future clinicians as part of the hospital’s medical residency, nursing and physical therapy programs. With mobile access to the clinical decision support resource at the hospital or any other location, residents can use UpToDate to care for patients and review the latest clinical studies.
“The adoption of UpToDate by HDH management serves as an excellent example of a hospital culture committed to using the most current and evidence-based clinical content at the point of care,” said Denise Basow, MD, Vice President and General Manager, UpToDate at Wolters Kluwer Health, Clinical Solutions. “We are confident UpToDate will play an important role in their efforts to increase the quality and effectiveness of the healthcare they provide.”
Dr. Julio Arraes, technical director at HDH, commented, “By sharing current clinical information through accessible, mobile technology, UpToDate helps us offer the best and most modern healthcare.” Arraes adds, “Our patients will benefit from evidence-based medicine as well as newer diagnostics and treatments.”
The hospital, based in the city of Cabo de Santo Agostinho, has more than 1,000 healthcare staff. HDH is recognized in the region for extensive emergency care, including cardiology as well as orthopedic trauma, general surgery and internal medicine. In addition to 24 emergency care beds, the hospital has 145 in-patient beds for the specialties above, as well as an intensive care unit covering general care, coronary care, cardiac surgery recovery and hemodynamics.
According to Dr. Audes Feitosa, superintendent of the hospital, “In the state of Pernambuco, HDH is a pioneer in cardiac care. We are staffed around the clock to provide primary angioplasty treatment to patients with myocardial infarction. For trauma care patients, HDH provided excellent emergency care resulting in an average stay of 4.1 days in 2014.”
HDH sought to provide their doctors with the best diagnostic and treatment recommendations at the point of care, whether at the patient bedside, consultation room, or off-site. By selecting UpToDate Anywhere, clinicians have anytime/anywhere access, via their mobile devices, to the acclaimed clinical decision support resource, used by over 1 million clinicians in more than 170 countries. More than 60 research studies confirm UpToDate’s widespread usage and association with quality metrics such as improved patient care and hospital performance, including reduced length of stay, adverse complications and mortality.
In the future, HDH plans to make UpToDate accessible within their electronic health record, making it even easier for clinicians to find answers to clinical questions while caring for patients. In addition, thanks to the patented Search In Your Own Language feature, searches in UpToDate can also be performed in Portuguese.
“UpToDate Anywhere is an anniversary present to our hospital. We are very confident in the benefits this important clinical decision-making resource will provide for our doctors and patients,” said Dr. Rodrigo Pedrosa, director of teaching and research at HDH.
HDH clinicians will participate in an UpToDate kickoff training on July 1, 2015, which is also the fifth anniversary of the healthcare institution.
