Nottingham/Dell/Intel Mobile Health IT System to be Rolled Out Further
The Nottingham trial of using 3G enabled laptops is to be rolled out across the county according to the Nottingham Evening Post:
Health staff in Notts have been testing a new mobile IT system to give them instant access to patients' records.And the scheme has been so successful it is now being rolled out to more staff in the county.The five-month trial scheme, a partnership between Notts Health Informatics Service, Dell and Intel Corporation, reduced time spent travelling back to base to update records and cut travel time for staff by almost a third.They estimated a 25% increase in productivity.The scheme involved 12 staff from Notts County and Nottingham City Primary Care Trusts including community matrons and paediatric physiotherapists, speech and language therapists and occupational therapists.
More info on the trial:
During the three month field trial in Nottingham, Dell provided community based clinicians and therapists with 3G enabled LatitudeTM notebooks that could automatically select either GPRS, 3G or 3G broadband (HSDPA) network access dependent on availability. This solution enabled users to have access to patient care records and clinical systems on the move regardless of location, including where appropriate when they were with patients. Anytime, anywhere access to data and systems has changed the way staff are able to work. Reducing travel time (by removing the need to travel to the office to update records, check emails etc), and being able to organise working days for greater effectiveness, without the constraint of office-only access to systems has released time which can now be used more effectively. Moreover, full real-time remote access to clinical systems has also enabled the full benefit of these to be available, driving further improvements in productivity and patient care. The results of the trial have been:
- On average 38 minutes additional productive time per person per day and realistic potential to achieve 60 minutes
- On average 38 minutes additional productive time per person per day and realistic potential to achieve 60 minutes
- Potential for 25% increase in productivity
- On average 96% of patient notes completed on the day (prior to mobile working there used to typically be a delay of up to 48 hours)
- Users perceive an average of 70% improvement in facilities to do their job
The new mobile working environment enables staff to quickly and securely access patient records from remote locations. It also offers the potential for even greater benefits by enabling a transformational change in the way staff are able to rearrange their working practices in order to use time more efficiently and deliver faster care more safely with greater personal flexibility.
Importantly, no patient care records are stored on the user's notebook PC to minimise any security threats. Instead, users remotely access the records stored on the Care Records Service (CRS) over a secure Virtual Private Network (VPN). As well as securely logging on the VPN, users also have to be authenticated to log into the CRS using the NHS smartcard system using the readers built into each notebook PC.
Links: This Is Nottingham, Dell