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Current and Breaking News for Professionals, Consumers and Media |
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Over the past few years, technology has progressed to a point where doctors, nurses and staff have come to rely on it. Electronic medical records (EMR), Radiology Information Systems (RIS/PACS) and computerized physician order entry (CPOE) systems are now largely viewed as standard to treating patients. This has resulted in the desire to access data from just about anywhere in a hospital facility—or along the continuum of care. For this reason, notebook PCs, tablets and PDAs have become critically important to healthcare delivery. In turn, the technology decision-making process has become more complex. One thing is clear: Health organizations experience a great deal of pain when they deploy mobile computing solutions which are neither the right fit nor up to the task at hand. The Right Tools for the Job There is no-one-size-fits-all computing solution and the temptation to standardize on a single device, while great, is typically not the right way to go. The end-user, the application, the use environment and requirements for data access can impact the form factor—the type of machine—and the kinds of wireless technology deployed. For example, an EMT in more extreme and, probably, remote conditions, will require a different solution than, say, an attendant in a ward. An ER nurse will require a different type of computer than a visiting nurse. Also, tablet PCs have been found to promote patient-provider relationships, because the notebook screen is not a barrier to communication. Luckily, there are many choices available today for healthcare IT buyers to find a solution which is purpose-built for the application or end-user environment. The Case for Durability and Lower TCO With increased mobility, hardware reliability must be considered. According to an October 2005 report by Venture Development Corporation, standard notebooks in harsh environments fail at a rate of 36%. By contrast, rugged computers fail an average of 4%. While it is tempting to make buying decisions based on price alone, these perceived savings can easily balloon to thousands of dollars in ownership costs due to lost productivity, the need for replacement parts, and labor resulting from unreliable solutions. Every moment a user experiences a hardware failure, their organization’s total cost of ownership (TCO) rises. Fundamentally, the goal is to provide workers with the right tool for the job. If an organization anticipates that a computer will rarely leave a desk, a standard computer is an appropriate solution. However, for mobile healthcare workers—a doctor or nurse making rounds or a specialist seeing a patient in the ER—organizations should look at more durable solutions, purpose-built to mitigate the risks of mobility. Durable PCs generally include magnesium alloy cases, shock-mounted removable hard drives, long battery life and, in some cases, daylight readable screens – all of which help contribute to decreased downtime and improved patient care—which results in lower TCO and higher returns on technology investments. A Holistic Approach to Going Wireless Wireless technology is helping organizations provide better patient care and work more efficiently. The capability to access patient records, schedule tests, receive results and view x-rays from anywhere can save hours of work. Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as flipping a switch and the process of evaluating wireless solutions and mapping out an effective deployment requires a holistic approach. Software must be capable of running on mobile devices, mobile devices must support the wireless solution under consideration and every part of the solution must be able to work together seamlessly to provide the best possible performance and results. The most important thing is that organizations tie their approach to wireless with the goals they are looking to accomplish. Sometimes these goals are grandiose—providing access to patient records and associated data anywhere within a region, for example—and sometimes they’re smaller in scale, like reducing the amount of overhead paging within a hospital. In all cases, these goals will help determine which type—or types—of wireless technologies are used, from WLAN or WiFi solutions to WWAN access, also known as mobile broadband, now widely available from leading cellular phone networks. Wireless technologies such as Bluetooth and GPS services should also be part of the overall evaluation. Organizations should consider solutions based on the size of the coverage area, the number of users any network will be required to support and the volume of data expected to stream through the “pipes”. Security and regulatory compliance must also be factored in. It is fundamental that a wireless strategy is incorporated from the start and is not an afterthought. It is tempting (especially because many wireless carriers encourage it), to adopt mobile broadband solutions through non-integrated solutions that allow users to access networks by simply inserting a PC card into a notebook. However, studies have proven that these solutions provide inferior coverage and performance when compared to computers in which wireless components are engineered and optimized to deliver superior results. PC-cards also introduce a potential point of failure, through damage, loss or theft, and tend to drain battery life. These are not obvious considerations, but they are critical and another illustration of how perceived financial savings can result in higher operational costs and a lower possibility for success. The Pay-Off Mobile computing in healthcare is here to stay. It can help streamline operations, reduce human errors, improve revenue cycle management and, most importantly, enhance patient care. However, not all solutions are created equal and there is no one silver bullet for mobility in healthcare. Considering that mobile devices and wireless technologies are the gateway to access the software and systems being put in place to transform healthcare, there is no room for weak links. Greg Davidson is a Business Development Manager responsible for healthcare at Panasonic Computer Solutions Company, manufacturer of Panasonic Toughbook notebook computers. Davidson has more than three and a half years experience helping healthcare organizations deploy technology in service of improved operations and better patient care. For further information: http://www.panasonic.com/business/toughbook/home.asp www.HealthNewsDigest.com Top of Page 
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