Eastern Health and BD Implement Innovative Solution with Goal of Reducing Consumption of Antibiotics and Other Medications

A first in Canada, implementing the BD HealthSight™ combines timely surveillance to support the early detection of emerging healthcare infections to provide patients with the right care at the right time.

ST. JOHN'S, NL, June 22, 2022 /CNW/ - BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) (NYSE: BDX), a leading global medical technology company, is pleased to announce the integration of the BD HealthSight™ Analytics Solutions in Eastern Health facilities. Eastern Health will become the first healthcare authority in Canada to integrate BD HealthSight™, which aims to reduce the use of antibiotics and other medications in addition to helping healthcare providers identify emerging infections among patients.

"At Eastern Health, our priority is to provide safe, quality care for our patients and clients. We are continually exploring innovative opportunities to enhance care," said Ron Johnson, Vice President of Innovation and Rural Health, Eastern Health. "Since announcing our strategic innovation partnership with BD, we are pleased to move forward to test this IT solution which could help our clinicians better identify potential infections, and potentially result in improved outcomes for our patients and provide a better patient experience for those we serve."

Eastern Health and BD formally launched their innovation partnership in late 2021 and have been working together to improve clinical outcomes for patients by implementing innovative solutions for healthcare professionals. This solution is at the core of a broader collaborative program between BD and Eastern Health, focusing on connected medication management and extending infection prevention and antimicrobial stewardship programs.

Adapting to changing patient conditions, BD HealthSight™ Clinical Advisor and Infection Advisor are connected healthcare solutions that can help identify patients at risk of developing emerging infections. Automatic system alerts inform clinicians who are taking care of the medication management of patients and help them to avoid waste and create better treatment outcomes for patients.

Antimicrobial stewardship programs are designed to optimize antibiotic therapies to help slow the emergence of drug resistance. Accurate and rapid diagnostic testing is crucial to identifying the infection-causing organism, determining whether it is resistant and guiding the appropriate therapeutic choice. BD HealthSight™ leverages data to produce meaningful analytics and insights for hospitals and the scientific community to help drive stewardship efforts forward.

"Antimicrobial resistance is a global health problem associated with increasing deaths and cost of care in Canada," said Dr. Peter Daley, Associate Professor of Medicine at Memorial University. "Antimicrobial resistance is caused by inappropriate antimicrobial use, which occurs more often in Newfoundland and Labrador than in other provinces. Work is ongoing in the province to enhance the understanding of appropriate antimicrobial use among prescribers and patients, and technological solutions may be effective in improving antimicrobial stewardship."

"This marks an important expansion of our partnership with Eastern Health to support patients and the healthcare system of Newfoundland and Labrador," said Ivy Parks, President BD-Canada. "Generating timely insights to protect healthcare systems against infectious disease trends and their unintended consequences will be key. The implementation of HealthSight offers a much-needed solution in supporting the right care at the right time."

About BD

BD is one of the largest global medical technology companies in the world and is advancing the world of health by improving medical discovery, diagnostics and the delivery of care. The company supports the heroes on the frontlines of healthcare by developing innovative technology, services and solutions that help advance both clinical therapy for patients and clinical process for healthcare providers. BD and its 70,000 employees have a passion and commitment to help enhance the safety and efficiency of clinicians' care delivery process, enable laboratory scientists to accurately detect disease and advance researchers' capabilities to develop the next generation of diagnostics and therapeutics. BD has a presence in virtually every country and partners with organizations around the world to address some of the most challenging global health issues. By working in close collaboration with customers, BD can help enhance outcomes, lower costs, increase efficiencies, improve safety and expand access to healthcare. For more information on BD, please visit bd.com/en-ca or connect with us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/bd1/ and Twitter @BDandCo.

About Eastern Health 

Eastern Health is the largest, integrated health authority in Newfoundland and Labrador employing approximately 13,000 dedicated employees, over 700 medical staff, and is supported by approximately 2,000 volunteers, including members of numerous auxiliaries and fundraising foundations. With an annual budget of approximately $1.6 billion, the authority offers the full continuum of health and community services including public health, long-term care, community services, hospital care and unique provincial programs and services. Serving a population of over 300,000, Eastern Health's geographic boundaries extend west from St. John's to Port Blandford including all communities on the Avalon, Burin and Bonavista Peninsulas.

SOURCE BD - Canada

Media Contact - BD-Canada: Ozgur Uzun, Communications Manager, T: 365.440.1930, [email protected]; Media Contact - Eastern Health: Gina MacArthur, A/Media Relations Manager, T: 709.777.1412, [email protected]