Simplifying CRRT Delivery: A Nurse’s Perspective
Acute kidney injury (AKI) is one of many complications affecting COVID-19 patients, which has caused elevated demand for continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) during the pandemic. As part of the recent launch of its next-generation platform designed to help simplify delivery of CRRT and other organ support therapies, Baxter introduced its TrueVue digital health solutions to help enhance patient care and deliver value to hospitals.
CRRT mimics many of the functions of the natural kidney and is the cornerstone of treatment in patients with severe AKI – a potentially life-threatening condition where the kidneys suddenly stop working, usually due to a serious infection or trauma. The TrueVue digital health solutions include TrueVue Connect, which simplifies connectivity with critical hospital data systems, and TrueVue Therapy Management, which offers actionable insights to support CRRT quality improvement programs.
Kerry Hardware, senior global marketing manager at Baxter, played a significant role in shaping the development of TrueVue, drawing on her nearly 15 years of prior experience as a nurse in the intensive care unit (ICU) in both the United Kingdom and United States. Here, she reflects on her clinical experience with CRRT and how it helped inform her approach to TrueVue's development.
Q: You spent many years as an ICU nurse. What are some of the challenges associated with CRRT?
Kerry: CRRT availability, prescribing practices and delivery models often vary across different hospitals and geographies, which I experienced firsthand working in ICUs in both the United Kingdom and United States. This variability can create challenges in establishing a shared understanding of CRRT best practices and the vital role the therapy can play in caring for critically ill patients. Arming hospitals and healthcare professionals with tools to help them make informed decisions is key to improving the quality and effectiveness of CRRT programs.
Q: How did your clinical experience influence the way you approached working with the team at Baxter to develop TrueVue?
Kerry: Drawing from my diverse background, it was evident to me that we needed take an agile approach to designing solutions that addressed the needs of healthcare professionals across multiple settings. I connected with a variety of stakeholders to better understand the range of needs and potential barriers to care across different regions and CRRT programs of varying size and scope, as well as among healthcare professionals with differing levels of CRRT experience. As a result, I was able to bring a variety of perspectives to the table to support timely, data-driven decision-making that helps make our TrueVue solutions as broadly applicable as possible.
Q: What value do digital capabilities, such as auto-documentation of treatment data and device connectivity with hospital electronic medical record (EMR) systems, bring for nurses caring for CRRT patients?
Kerry: These digital capabilities may help improve patient care by alleviating some of the administrative burden on nurses and prescribers. Automating treatment documentation and facilitating connectivity with EMR systems helps improve workflow significantly, streamlines communication among multi-disciplinary team members and ensures important data is transcribed accurately and securely. This allows nurses to spend less time on manual work and focus more on what they do best – caring for patients and supporting patients' families. On a broader scale, these capabilities may help hospitals more effectively track supply trends, maximize equipment usage and manage costs.
Q: It's often said that "knowledge is power." How can data help hospitals improve their CRRT programs?
Kerry: Simply put, what gets measured gets done. Having access to quality data that is well-organized, easy to read and visually pleasing goes a long way in helping hospitals see what their programs are doing well and where they can improve. However, a strong understanding of the data is necessary to driving true progress. Generating actionable insights based on deep analysis of the data is critical to formulating an effective, evidence-based approach to help hospitals optimize their CRRT programs and better serve their patients.
Q: What excites you most about the potential of digital solutions like TrueVue when it comes to advancing patient care?
Kerry: Ultimately, the beauty of digital solutions like TrueVue is that they help keep the focus on ensuring the patient receives the best care possible. The overwhelming workload of nurses and other healthcare professionals has been well-documented throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Giving nurses key information and tools to help empower their decision-making, facilitate collaboration, and manage their time as effectively as possible can help make their lives a little bit easier, while keeping patient care front and center.