FEATURE
Integrating medical devices in general practice
Introduction Electronic medical records, document scanning, email, secure messaging and computer-based faxing have all served to put downward pressure on the amount of paper modern medical practices have to handle on a day to day basis. However while nearly all general practices are able to receive and process pathology reports sent from geographically distant laboratories using purely digital workflows, many practices still rely on paper as a means of viewing the data produced by medical devices situated in their own treatment rooms. This article outlines some of the options that
are available to general practices, some of whom may already possess all the necessary hardware and software to digitise and streamline the record keeping associated with medical device related diagnostic tests.
Which medical devices will work with my clinical software? For the majority of Australia’s general practices including those running Medical Director and Zedmed clinical software, the opportunity to connect a range of medical devices to their computers has existed for some time. The developers of these clinical software packages have supplied Pulse+IT with the following information outlining their products’ current compatibility with various medical devices. Readers are advised to contact both their clinical
software developer and the relevant medical device distributor before making a purchasing decision to ensure that any recent clinical software updates, operating system changes or hardware revisions have not resulted in a loss of compatibility.
Medical Director Medical Director users can view a comprehensive list of compatible devices from within the HCN Maintenance Device List. As well as highlighting any currently installed devices, this area of the program contains the
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contact details of the relevant device vendors. Amongst the devices listed as compatible are the Norav PC-ECG, Biolog CV3000 ECG, Cube ECG, QRS Diagnostics’ devices, Welch Allyn’s CardioPerfect and Spot Vital Signs software, encompassing ECG, oximetry, pulse, blood pressure and spirometry devices, to name a few.
Zedmed Zedmed users are able to connect their computers to Welch Allyn CardioPerfect and SpiroPerfect devices, the Norav PC-ECG, the Biolog 3000 ECG, the Easyone Spirometer, and the Micro Medical (now Care Fusion) MicroLoop Spirometer.
Best Practice While the requisite update has not yet been released, Best Practice Software announced their intention to make their clinical software compatible with a range of popular devices at their inaugural conference in March this year. The company has advised Pulse+IT that Welch Allyn ECG and spirometer devices, spirometers that interface with the WinSpiro Pro software, and PC-based ECGs, spirometers, blood pressure monitors and pulse oximeters from QRS Diagnostics will be compatible with Best Practice within a few months.
Workflows and benefits As practices that are not using hardware and software combinations that permit seamless medical device integration would be well aware, the scanning of diagramatic data generated by ECGs and spirometry devices can be both time consuming and problematic.
Simon James is the editor of Pulse+IT, Australia’s highest circulating health publication of any kind. Prior to founding the publication in 2006 he worked in the statistics division of a clinical research organisation, in an IT support capacity for various medical practices, for a clinical software developer, and subsequently for a secure clinical messaging developer.
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Simon James BIT, BComm Editor, Pulse+IT
simon.james@pulseitmagazine.com.au
Author Info
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