The patient was only a mannequin, but the state-of-the-art monitor attached to it was the real thing.
With the specially designed faux-patient exhibiting symptoms that mimicked heart trouble, medical staffers sprang into action and successfully simulated keeping it alive.
Leading the team was Dr. Omar Ahmad, who said such exercises and the equipment used in them are vital for training and getting staff comfortable with real-life situations.
The demonstration was part of a media tour Thursday at Royal Jubilee Hospital to show the array of equipment on the wish list for the latest Victoria Hospitals Foundation fundraising campaign.
The You Are Vital campaign aims to raise $3.5 million by March 2019 to buy more than 100 pieces of equipment for 11 areas — ranging from cardiac care to mental health and surgical services.
The equipment will go to both the Royal Jubilee and Victoria General hospitals, where a combined total of more than 200,000 Vancouver Island residents are assessed and treated each year.
Ahmad, Island Health’s department head of emergency and critical-care medicine, said the monitor used in the simulation is part of an upgraded system in line for purchase through the fundraising effort.
Such technologically advanced vital-sign monitors are a campaign priority. About $2.4 million of the money to be raised has been earmarked for vital-sign monitoring upgrades at both hospitals.
“Before we can diagnose and treat someone’s symptoms and their pains we need to be able to figure out what is the underlying condition, and that always starts with vital signs,” Ahmad said.
“So every day in every case I encounter I seek out vital signs as the first indicator of a patient’s health and their status.
“These indicators, these vital signs, are a huge part of my decision-making process.”
Along with that, the new system in the offing “will transmit possibly life-saving information from any monitor anywhere in the hospital,” Ahmad said.
“Thousands of patients will benefit from the patient-monitoring system — in fact, most patients that come to our hospitals, both the Jubilee and the General.”
Registered nurse Sophie Gatward echoed the importance of a monitoring system.
“It alerts us the instant there are changes and helps establish trends in our patients’ status.”
Gatward said that as a health-care provider, she needs to have the most accurate and current information. “And with the equipment funded through this campaign, I will.”
Nurses also bring something beyond what equipment can do, Gatward said.
“While clinical accuracy and a strong knowledge base are the hallmark of professional nursing and care, it’s the warm presence and kind word that truly make the difference.”
She praised donors to the foundation. “The depth of their generosity allows both myself and Dr. Ahmad to do the work we love and to continue to improve the care we provide to our patients.”
Foundation board chairman Steve McKerrell said that over the course of the campaign the stories of many caregivers and patients will be shared with the public.
“Island Health’s care teams play a vital role in a patient’s journey,” he said. “Ensuring they have tools of the highest quality means our Vancouver Island patients can continue to receive excellent care.”
• To support the campaign go to victoriahf.ca/tvital or call 250-519-1750.
