The Journal of mHealth Vol 2 issue 5 (Oct) | Page 17

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dropped by 91% between 2009-10 and 2010-14. The drop was
much larger than the reduction in outbreaks reported by other
hospitals in the Wessex region and across England.
The paper in BMJ Quality and Safety concluded: “A multi-year
quality improvement programme, including use of real-time
electronic identification of patients with norovirus-like symptoms, and an early robust response to suspected infection,
resulted in virtual elimination of outbreaks.”
Norovirus is the most common cause of epidemic gastroenteritis and outbreaks in hospitals are frequent, particularly during
winter. The virus causes diarrhoea and vomiting, and can cause
fatal complications.
When a norovirus outbreak is identified, affected wards may be
closed to admissions resulting in a loss of bed capacity, often
during the winter months when bed pressures are at their highest.  Outbreaks also result in a loss of productivity, as many staff
may be affected.
Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust worked with The Learning
Clinic to develop  computer software called VitalPAC Infection
Prevention Manager. It uses an existing hospital–wide electronic
vital signs system (VitalPAC), which uses Apple iPods to record
patient observations such as nausea and vomiting, to create a series
of alerts that highlight potential cases of norovirus infection. It
speeds up notification of the infection prevention and control
team, who can then respond faster by instituting simple bedside
measures. Where appropriate, patients were moved into isolation,
hand hygiene measures were enhanced and bed areas, crockery and
utensils were intensively cleaned to prevent infection spr XY