by Playfuls Staff |
21st February 2007
Intel announced the mobile clinical assistant (MCA) is ready
to enable nurses to spend more time with patients, do their jobs on the move
while remaining connected, and manage the administration of [more] medications.
Motion Computing’s C5 is the first product based on Intel’s MCA platform and
has earned support from clinicians and nurses participating in pilot studies
around the world.
As Intel’s first platform built specifically for healthcare,
the MCA is an important step in the company’s efforts to better connect
clinicians to comprehensive patient information on a real-time basis. The
lightweight, spill-resistant, drop-tolerant and easily disinfected MCA allows
nurses to access up-to-the-minute patient records and to document a patient’s
condition instantly, enhancing clinical workflow while reducing the staff’s
administrative workload.
Some of the Motion C5 features designed to ease the nurse’s
daily workload include: wireless connectivity to access up-to-date secure
patient information and physician’s orders; radio frequency identification
(RFID) technology for easy, rapid user logon; a digital camera to enhance
patient charting and progress notes, to keep track of wounds as they heal; and
bluetooth technology to help capture patient vital signs.
As part of the solution, Intel and Motion Computing worked
closely with electronic medical record (EMR) and other clinical software
companies to refine their applications for use on MCA. Innovative technology
and clinical software leaders included Allscripts, Cardinal Health, Cerner Corporation,
Eclipsys Corporation, Epic Systems Corporation, GE Healthcare, iSoft, McKesson,
Nexus, Siemens Medical Solutions and Welch Allyn.
To develop the MCA, Intel also conducted a broad range of
pilot studies in hospitals worldwide, including El Camino Hospital in Northern
California, Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust in the United Kingdom, and
Changi General Hospital in Singapore. Social scientists from Intel’s Digital
Health Group conducted ethnographic studies of clinicians using the MCA at each
hospital to understand the platform’s usage, usefulness and usability in the
context of real clinical work practice. Across these hospital settings, nurses
and physicians appreciated the integrated handle; immediate anytime, anywhere
access to secure patient information and orders; and the docking station that
allows them to easily swap batteries to achieve shift-long use.
The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Medical Center,
one of the leading hospitals in the nation and a frontrunner in healthcare
innovation, collaborated with Motion Computing on the C5’s development. The
medical center is now conducting pilots to measure improvements in workflow and
nursing satisfaction with regard to patient care. The UCSF Medical
Center is one of many
hospitals showing an interest in the new MCA platform. Alegent Health, a large
healthcare system across Nebraska and Iowa, is also conducting a Motion C5
study, and hospitals in several different countries have already signed on to
pilot and deploy MCA in their care settings. In the United Kingdom, Intel and Motion
Computing will launch the new platform, highlighting their work with the
National Health Service.
Intel worked closely with Motion who embraced the vision of
a new category of devices and is leading the industry in providing a better
solution for nurses and doctors.
