Special VAR Report
Healthcare
include Motion Computing, Motorola and Lenovo. “These devices are typically used for things like test requesting and sampling at the bedside,” explained Jackson. “We’ve also been connecting these types of devices to a small, mobile bedside Bluetooth printer – the Zebra QL range, for example – so medial staff can instantaneously print out things such as test requests and sample labels. This is driving greater efficiency, fewer errors, and removes the need for staff to walk to a print station or the ward clerk’s desk in order to pick up a label that might or might not be the correct one.”
Real-time data access at the bedside
Jackson added that Dakota IS has also recently seen considerable demand for these types of devices in community nursing. “Typically, community nursing would have been equipped with a laptop but without any GPRS connection,” he explained, “so it would be just a case of docking it in batch mode when you got back to the office. The good news is that community nursing is now starting to come on stream with more modern technology.” In terms of wireless infrastructure within NHS hospitals, Jackson points out that this is a lot more prevalent now and is facilitating real-time access to patient data at the bedside. “This not only benefits wards, but also affects theatres and clinics, and allows all these different departments to run more efficiently,” he said.
One specific Dakota IS case study relates to Mid Cheshire Hospital near Crewe. “The hospital’s treatment centre sees an average of around 100 patients a day,” explained Jackson, “and due to some hardware and after-sales support we have provided to this hospital, it is now seeing savings of an hour and a half each day across the centre, which amounts to around 550 hours per year.” Jackson explained that the devices provided to Mid Cheshire Hospital included the Zebra HC 100 patient ID wristband printer, which
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Dakota IS connected to the hospital’s Ethernet network and linked to the hospital’s patient administration system (PAS) in order for it to be able to immediately access patient demographics and print wristbands incorporating a 2-D barcode. “The patient wristband with the 2- D barcode has really brought into focus what can be achieved with technology,” he said. “Now the hospital is benefiting from having barcodes on wristbands it is now asking about what else can be run off the PAS. The hospital is realising that it is able not only to benefit from patient identification but can also run order comms off the system, do blood analysis and take samples at the bedside.”
In terms of system distribution, Dakota requires its distributors of choice, such as Varlink, to have a good level of technical knowledge and be able to assist with any required adjustments to system configuration etc., as well as offering the right solutions at the right price. Jackson also explained that Dakota IS always offers post-sales support to customers, especially with regard to middleware. Jackson pointed out that some customers have historically seen middleware as costly to
support, but adds that Datoka IS now has a high number of proven references that show how valuable the system is to organisations in a large number of sectors, including those in healthcare.
Growth of Cloud acceptance Another trend that Jackson is witnessing is the move to the Cloud and the operational benefits this can afford. “We’re seeing a lot of apps that are running Cloud-based, and the flexibility of that gives includes the fact that it’s cross-platform, so you don’t need Windows Mobile or Android devices and there are no real limitations. HTML 5 and Cloud provide a lot more sophistication to devices and a lot more choice for a lot of the trusts that we do business with.” Jackson added that, just as there was with wireless infrastructure, there was initially a big question mark over security issues within the NHS. “The NHS was concerned about any potential for patient data to get in the wrong hands,” he said. “But I think there is now a lot more acceptance of Cloud and its benefits. Hospitals can see that firewalls and other means of security make it very difficult to grab patients’ demographic information. Fears have been allayed to a large extent.”
IT RESELLER – NOVEMBER 2011 7
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