iTWire - 'Keep taking the tablets' Intel and Motion tell hospitals

'Keep taking the tablets' Intel and Motion tell hospitals

by Stephen Withers

Wednesday, 21 February 2007

Healthcare is one of the markets where tablet computing is having an impact, and Intel and its partner Motion Computing are trying to kick things along.

Today's announcement of Intel's mobile clinical assistant (MCA) platform along with its first embodiment - the Motion Computing C5 - is the first we've seen of industry-specific tablet solutions outside the logistics industry.

Designed to help nurses spend more time with patients and less time doing paperwork at a fixed station, the C5 is light, robust and easily disinfected. It incorporates wireless connectivity, RFID-based login (the built-in reader can respond to an RFID chip built into the nurse's badge or ID card), Bluetooth connectivity to monitoring devices, and a camera to help track patient progress.

The $US2199 ($A3399) C5 is based on Intel Centrino hardware and runs either Vista Business or XP Tablet PC Edition. Optional Medical Pak software improves handwriting recognition for medical vocabulary and terminology, and adds medical words to the Office spellchecker.

Both Intel and Motion Computing worked with the developers of electronic medial record software and other clinical applications, including GE Healthcare and Siemens Medical Solutions.

Pilot studies on MCA were carried out at hospitals in the US, the UK and Singapore. The C5 was developed in collaboration with the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center, which, along with other hospitals, is piloting the use of the device.

"Delivering solutions that improve the quality of care is a strategic priority for Motion, and we have heard directly from clinicians how technology can help them spend more time caring for their patients," said Scott Eckert, Motion president and CEO.

Worldwide deliveries of the C5 will begin in May 2007.{moscomment}

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