Hospital patients in intensive care units already receive extra attention, as they should. But WakeMed is stepping it up a notch, joining the world of what’s called eICU.

That allows nurses and doctors to use computer screens, audio, video and streams of data monitoring vital signs to keep track in real time of patients who might be miles away. If needed, doctors on the scene can be called and alerted to problems and act on them.

WakeMed is up and running on the eICU system, a cutting-edge development that is becoming more common. WakeMed can, through an office building on Atlantic Avenue staffed with nurses and doctors trained in intensive care, monitor patients 24 hours a day, with regular checks varying in frequency depending upon the patient’s condition.

WakeMed doesn’t intend to use the system as a substitute for in-person medical care at its hospitals, but it seems a worthy addition to the options for keeping close track of patients who need that extra dose of attention.