The recent Anesthesiology News article, “Modeling Shows Potential Cost Savings With Capnography Monitoring,” (2016;42[3]:33-34) discusses research by Rhodri Saunders, DPhil, health economist at Ossian Health Economics and Communications in Basel, Switzerland. Dr. Saunders found that monitoring patients with capnography “reduced the proportion of patients experiencing greater than one adverse event (AE) by more than 27%.”
In a letter to the editor, A Promise to Amanda Foundation and the Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety discusse examples where hospitals have experienced a reduction in costs and AEs. The letter also cites recent recommendation of two nursing organizations endorsing the use of capnography monitoring in patients.
The letter concludes by saying:
Saving lives and saving money—that seems like a winning combination!
We think the question that clinicians and hospital executives who are not monitoring need to ask themselves is how long it will take before they too adopt this winning formula.
To read the letter to the editor, please click here.