Wolters Kluwer Health announced today the expansion of its partnership with Sírio-Libanês Hospital, a leading international health center in São Paulo, Brazil.
The institution, which has relied on Wolters Kluwer’s UpToDate® clinical decision support since 2010, recently adopted Lexicomp® Online drug reference and Medi-Span® embedded drug data. With these combined resources, Sírio-Libanês becomes the first institution in Brazil to implement the Advanced Clinical Decision Support (ACDS) solution. Hospital leaders believe the combined ACDS resources are essential to improving clinical effectiveness, particularly with regard to reduced medication errors and patient safety overall.
Sírio-Libanês Hospital is recognized for its 95-year history of excellence and leadership, as well as its pioneering role in healthcare and medical research in Brazil. The hospital cares for thousands of patients annually at its complex in São Paulo's Bela Vista district and three additional locations: a diagnostic center and ambulatory hospital in Itaim Bibi; a multidisciplinary clinic in Jardins; and an oncology center in Brasília.
Vladimir Pizzo, MD, CMIO at Sírio-Libanês Hospital, explained that, in recent years, patient safety and the prevention of adverse events have become major strategic drivers for the institution. Among the initiatives supporting this effort was the creation of a multidisciplinary group focused on adverse drug events (ADEs). After a systematic investigation of these events, the group proposed improvements to clinical workflows, a review of records, and the identification of gaps that could be addressed with technologies that aid in clinical decision-making. Dr. Pizzo commented, “After a thorough search to find solutions to support this initiative, the institution chose to build out its partnership with Wolters Kluwer, expanding the use of Lexicomp and UpToDate, and also implementing Medi-Span.”
The steady, sustained growth of UpToDate usage by the clinical staff served as one of the key reasons for choosing to deploy ACDS at Sírio-Libanês Hospital. Dr. Pizzo added, “With the integration of Medi-Span drug data into our e-prescribing system, we hope to bring even more harmonized information to the physician during the decision-making phase. He or she may evaluate drug interaction details, lab results or the patient’s clinical condition, where relevant. Clinical decisions will be better informed and the risk of unsafe administration of medicines should be reduced because the clinician is aware of a potential problem before it actually occurs.”
“Always at the forefront of global trends, Sírio-Libanês Hospital is one of the first institutions in the world to adopt ACDS with the aim of improving clinical effectiveness,” said Peter Bonis, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Clinical Effectiveness, Wolters Kluwer. “ACDS is helping organizations like Sírio-Libanês to improve quality, reduce costs and put patients at the center of care.”
