It’s great when we can calculate how technology improves how we live and while I understand this doesn’t require broadband to track this info – the move to remote care for as many people as possible during COVID means that every tool we have makes staying home safer. Becker’s Health IT reports…

Robbinsdale, Minn.-based North Memorial Hospital used an EHR to create a screening tool that would predict, identify and guide postpartum hemorrhages, resulting in a 40 percent reduction, according to a Jan. 10 report in EpicShare.

North Memorial’s clinical practice committee analyzed data to determine which patients were at “high-risk” of hemorrhaging. The committee found that high-risk pregnancy didn’t always equate to hemorrhaging.

The committee then created a screening tool within Epic’s EHR system that would calculate a patient’s risk based on:

• What type of birth it is: vaginal or C-sections, as C-sections have higher rates of hemorrhaging.
• Where the placenta is: Placenta previa, or low-lying placenta, increases hemorrhage risk.
• Hemoglobin measurements, or a low hematocrit measurement.
• Any pre-existing conditions such as obesity or a bleeding disorder.

North Memorial  also used Epic to create a quantitative blood loss calculator to improve response time for hemorrhages.