NMCP Crunches the Numbers to Improve COVID-19 Care

Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Kris Lindstrom | PORTSMOUTH, Va. (Oct. 10, 2020) – Naval Medical Center Portsmouth (NMCP) releases updated statistics of their COVID-19 response on May 7. NMCP has been developing, analyzing, and improving on COVID-19 procedures and practices carried out throughout the hospital using data analytics. (U.S. Navy graphic by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kris R. Lindstrom/Released)  

PORTSMOUTH, VA, UNITED STATES

10.07.2020

Courtesy Story

Naval Medical Center - Portsmouth

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (Oct. 7, 2020) – Naval Medical Center Portsmouth (NMCP) has been developing, analyzing, and improving on COVID-19 procedures and practices carried out throughout the hospital using the most vital piece of the puzzle - data.
Data analysis is used to help mold and improve processes that are put in place to, in this case, combat COVID-19 by preventing the spread of it to the patient and staff population. The World Health Organization determined in March 2020 that COVID-19 was a pandemic, and that it required a world-wide response. Between then and now, NMCP has developed and improved upon their pandemic responses by using data analytics.
Lt. Cmdr. Aaron Daley, NMCP Medical Services associate director, worked to develop a model called the Prediction of COVID Census System (POCCS). This system takes data points from the time a patient calls to report symptoms, all the way to the admission of patients, in a way to fuel a plan to respond effectively and efficiently.
“I was able to use data from the COVID-19 Call Center, Telecommunications Center, and collected inpatient data to develop a data model which predicts the inpatient census for COVID- positive patients,” Daley said. “We have used data from POCCS to help us make decisions on configuring the hospital wards and bed staffing to better support sicker patients, while protecting patients and staff who do not have COVID, and we can do this relatively quickly.”
This database, along with others from the Laboratory, Emergency Department, and COVID drive-thru testing area, are taken to create a “full picture” of all the data pertaining to the pandemic and NMCP’s efforts to combat it.
Lt. Cmdr. Sean Stuart, NMCP emergency medicine physician and the director of the Combat Trauma Research Group (CTRG), combined all this data to build the COVID Intervention Dashboard (CIDB) and help shape NMCP’s overall medical response and resource utilization.
“NMCP's response is multifaceted and no one piece can give us all the insight, and the highlight of this analysis is the CIDB,” said Stuart. “Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, we have sorted through several hundred thousand data points.”
Stuart believes it is vital to make decisions based in data because it is the most efficient way to grow and improve, while having the numbers to back up those decisions.
“Data is critical to improvement and growth at NMCP,” Stuart added. “The bottom line is that it's hard to improve what you don't measure. It's like navigating without a compass. How do you know if we are headed the right way? If you start a new policy or program, how do you know it’s working, or if it is worth the time, money and effort if you don't measure the effect? Data driven decision making is the standard for effective, efficient and adaptable operations. In its simplest terms, it is about making informed decisions.”
Shayne Morris, NMCP health systems strategist, has been working with building and improving the databases that are used at NMCP, and believes that the process and data flow is crucial to smooth operations.
“Clinical or operational decisions are best when grounded in data, and using a database to automate work functions allows the user to enter, store, and retrieve data which when aggregated, provides useful information for leadership, resulting in better decision-making,” said Morris. “With automation, a one minute phone call now takes one minute of user’s time. Prior to the database, a one minute phone call required ten minutes to process.”
Subsequently, data analysis produces informed decision making and promotes improvement, efficiency, and growth. As the pandemic continues, NMCP continues to push forward making important clinical and operational data-based decisions.
As the U.S. Navy’s oldest, continuously operating military hospital since 1830, Naval Medical Center Portsmouth proudly serves past and present military members and their families. The nationally acclaimed, state of the art medical center, along with the area’s 10 branch health and TRICARE Prime Clinics, provide care for the Hampton Roads area. The medical center also supports premier research and teaching programs designed to prepare new doctors, nurses, and hospital corpsman for future roles in healing and wellness.

• Date Taken: 10.07.2020
• Date Posted: 10.09.2020 09:28
• Story ID: 380627
• Location: PORTSMOUTH, VA, US