Philips this week unveiled a mobile application that allows nurses to view patient alarms and vital signs right on their laptops, tablets, or smartphones, which company officials say will help caregivers manage demanding workflows and avoid alarm fatigue.

Launched this week at the HIMSS15 Conference in Chicago, the Philips CareEvent application for Android joins the growing number of health care products in the mobile space.

The application connects to the IntelliVue Information Center iX (PIIC iX), Philips’ central patient monitoring system, and transmits the near real-time physiological information — such as dynamic ECG waveforms, numeric trends, STEMI Limit Maps and labs — from a patient's bedside monitor to caregivers’ mobile devices. It is the first application on the market to show a snapshot of four numerics and four waveforms, including dynamic ECGs for up to 10 seconds, according to the company.

Youssef Hawili, senior director of innovation, technology and architecture for Philips, says the company sees that hospitals are moving toward replacing the pagers and other devices nurses carry around with Android smartphones, slimming down their “tool belt”.

The CareEvent application shares a patient's recent alert history, providing more context on their condition, along with the relevant data that nurses need to decide how to respond. So, for example, if an alarm sounds for atrial fibrillation, the nurse will be able to see right away whether he or she needs to take action.

“With the evidentiary data being displayed on mobile devices, the nurse can make a much more educated decision not to run into the room,” Hawili says.

The application can also be configured to send alerts, such as low battery alarms, to the right caregivers and staff members.

Philips CareEvent joins the company’s IntelliVue Mobile Caregiver application for physicians.

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