How Continuous Patient Monitoring is maximizing the Benefit of IV Ketamine Therapy

There are currently around 400 ketamine infusion clinics in the US and rising at a rate of 30-40% per year. Such is the demand for intravenous ketamine treatment for severe depression, anxiety and chronic pain.

Since the opioid epidemic, the use of analgesics and anesthetics to treat the rising cases of depression and anxiety has been closely monitored and patient safety is understandably paramount. Caretaker Medical’s wireless, continuous patient monitoring is helping ketamine clinics to deliver the best possible patient experience, while streamlining their workflow and ensuring adherence to monitoring protocols.

Continuous Patient Monitoring in Ketamine Treatments

Ketamine was approved by the FDA in the 1970s and has been used as a painkiller in medical environments for decades. It has a reputation for being very safe as an aesthetic because it doesn’t suppress breathing. In low doses, ketamine has proven very effective in the treatment of severe depression, anxiety and chronic pain, being faster acting than prescribed antidepressants and much less addictive than opioids, with minimal side effects.

But there are side effects, including hypertension and tachycardia, which must be checked on a regular basis during treatment. Vital signs checks are carried out every 15 – 30 minutes by clinicians, who might be attending to several patients in different rooms during a session. There are several risks associated with this approach.

Intermittent monitoring carried out by an individual whose workload is spread over several rooms carries the risk of missing a potentially harmful event. The vital signs checks interrupt the treatment, waking the patient from their psychedelic state and potentially compromising the effectiveness of the treatment. And there is a limit to the number of patients who can be treated by a single clinician, thus restricting the overall workflow efficiency and patient throughput.

How Caretaker 4 Adds Value

Wireless, continuous patient monitoring addresses the performance of ketamine clinics in three significant ways.

Firstly, the safety of the patient. Continuous monitoring completely removes the risk of missing harmful events. Caretaker 4’s finger cuff and wrist unit monitor every heartbeat, so any signs of hypertension or tachycardia are picked up right away, so that the clinician can intervene before they become problematic. It also helps to deliver a better outcome for the patient, allowing the full hour or more of treatment to be taken without interruptions.

Secondly, staff efficiency. With Caretaker 4 collecting patient data continuously and sending it wirelessly to a central monitoring station, a single clinician can monitor several patients at a time while also attending to other tasks.

Thirdly, reporting efficiency. The digital reporting capability of Caretaker 4 replaces inefficient and potentially inaccurate paper charting.  Caretaker takes it a step further by integrating with electronic medical records (EMR) for best-in-class workflow. Currently, Caretaker is integrated with Osmind and CliniFusion EMR software, both developed specifically for ketamine clinics. Caretaker 4 populates these systems automatically with real-time patient data.

Relieving Pain and Depression for More People

The rapidly growing demand for ketamine infusion therapy requires clinics to maximize workflow efficiency and patient throughput, while ensuring patient safety. Caretaker 4 offers the solution to all these requirements.

Comfortable and non-invasive, providing ICU level monitoring beat-by-beat, and streamlining workflows through automated reporting, it is a key component in enabling the improvement of outcomes.

Find out how Caretaker Medical can radically improve your workflow. Get in touch today! 

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Caretaker Medical is a Wireless Digital Health company that has developed a continuous ‘beat-by-beat’ Blood Pressure and Vital Signs monitor that eliminates blind spots between traditional intermittent spot-check monitors and untethers patients from mobility-restricting wires and hoses. The FDA-Cleared Caretaker4 wireless monitor utilizes a simple finger cuff and patented Pulse Decomposition Analysis technology to measure uninterrupted blood pressure, hemodynamics, and other parameters for wire-free, “touchless” continuous patient monitoring that maximizes patient comfort and clinical decision-making. For more information, please visit www.CaretakerMedical.net.