• Enabling Holistic Monitoring and Sharing of Information for Caregivers of Patients with Treatment Resistant Schizophrenia
• Connection provides easier sharing of patient information among caregivers to inform treatment decisions
Siemens Healthineers announced today that its POCcelerator™ data management system will now be connected to the HLS Therapeutics Inc. (TSX:HLS) CSAN® ProntoTM, a point-of-care device indicated for quantitative determination of white blood cells (WBC) and neutrophil percentages in capillary or venous whole blood.
The CSAN Pronto is a point of care device that uses capillary (finger stick) as opposed to venous blood draw to simplify the process of routine bloodwork for patients on Clozaril® (clozapine), a therapeutic for people with Treatment Resistant Schizophrenia.
“Patients on Clozaril need regular blood tests to continuously monitor their white blood cell count,” said Dr. Jason A. Gross, Vice President, of Scientific Affairs, HLS Therapeutics. “Up to 39 tests are needed in the first year for patients who start Clozaril, and all the readings need to be communicated in an efficient way to the various healthcare providers involved in the patient’s care. The POCcelerator from Siemens Healthineers helps streamline this process, ensuring every caregiver has the information to hand to ensure patients receive the best treatment possible.”
Between 25-30 per cent of people meet the criteria for Treatment Resistant Schizophrenia. For these patients, the only treatment that is indicated and recommended by guidelines is Clozaril. However, the required bloodwork needed has been identified as a major barrier to appropriate Clozaril use. When starting Clozaril, blood tests are required every week for the first six months, every two weeks for the following six months, and then every four weeks after one year. That equates to at least 39 venipuncture in the first full year of treatment. At least 12 per year is then needed after the first year.
“The CSAN Pronto from HLS Therapeutics is a point of care device that quantitatively determines white blood cell counts and neutrophil percentages on-site by a healthcare professional, from a drop of blood,” continued Dr. Gross. “Within a few minutes, patient results are available to the healthcare team and simultaneously automatically uploaded into the patient’s CSAN profile. Lab accurate white blood counts in minutes could enable faster treatment decisions and simplify patients’ blood monitoring process.”
“Thanks to POCcelerator interfacing with the CSAN Pronto, the process of collecting, sharing and acting on data is simplified,” said Ingrid Lansard, Head Point of Care and Molecular, Siemens Healthineers, Canada. “POCcelerator empowers the user to manage multiple devices and operators by consolidating multiple POC IT systems and transmits results from the devices via a single interface to the central information system, thus ensuring all healthcare professionals involved in the treatment of a patient have the necessary, relevant, and latest information at their fingertips to make informed treatment decisions.”
For more information on the POCcelerator visit: https://www.siemens-healthineers.com/en-ca/informatics/informatics-solutions/poccelerator-software-se
For more information on HLS Therapeutics visit: http://www.hlstherapeutics.com/