Panasonic scrubs up for hospital use with Toughbook H1

Stephen Withers
Monday, 22 June 2009 12:39

Business IT - Technology

Integrated options include a barcode reader, GPS, and 3G.

With appropriate software, these features can help speed data collection (eg, from Bluetooth-enabled monitoring devices or simply by allowing clinical staff to enter information directly into the system rather than capturing it on paper for later entry) and provide on-the-spot access to the latest patient information during treatment.

Other functions outlined by Panasonic in a demonstration held in the Centre for Health Innovation at Melbourne's Alfred Hospital included scanning a patient's wristband to verify identity, reading the barcode on medications before administration, taking a photograph of the state of a wound, displaying diagnostic images (eg X-rays) at the bedside, and using an RFID-based application to locate the nearest wheelchair.

The Centre provides a fully-isolated medical grade network, allowing the demonstration and evaluation of equipment and software in a realistic health environment. It is a not-for-profit initiative of Alfred Health, La Trobe University, Monash University, and the Baker Heart Research Institute.

An early adopter of the H1 in Australia is the Dubbo RSL Aged Care Association, a 187-bed facility on two sites in New South Wales. Having selected iCare's Clinical Care and Medication Management Solution, the Association purchased 28 H1s for bedside use - one for every two nurses on duty.

The Association's nurses use the H1s to capture patient information at the bedside, and to help with the safe administration of medications.

The $A4999 Toughbook H1 is generally available in Australia from this month.