Tasmania health department starts taking the Panasonic Toughbook tablets

Stephen Withers
Tuesday, 16 February 2010 10:02

Business IT - Technology

Designed specifically for healthcare, Panasonic's Toughbook H1 tablets have found homes at Tasmanian hospitals.

Fastidious hand washing by medical and nursing staff is an important part of infection control in hospital wards. But if the equipment they carry around can't also be regularly and readily disinfected, bugs are likely to find their way between patients.

So Tasmania's Department of Health and Human Services has purchased five Panasonic Toughbook H1s for use by clinical pharmacists at the Royal Hobart, Launceston General, North West Regional, and Mersey Community hospitals.

"We are able to bring a device into the infectious wards and this proved particularly helpful during the H1N1 (swine) flu pandemic," said Amber Roberts, state-wide medication coordinator.

"Due to its fully-sealed build-quality and resistance to hospital-grade disinfectants, the pharmacists were able to bring the device to the quarantine area without the worry of spreading the infection to other parts of the hospital," she added.

Other advantages of the H1 include six-hour battery life, the ability to withstand a 90cm drop, can compatibility with existing communications systems.

Clinical pharmacists provide medication therapy evaluations and recommendations to patients and other healthcare professionals, explained Panasonic officials, and access to information from the bedside removes the need for paper documents and reduces the risk of errors.