25 Feb 2009
One in three NHS trusts are running trials of a new type of mobile clinical assistant (MCA) designed to help nurses work more efficiently and interface better with electronic patient records.
The Panasonic Toughbook device a laptop with a touch-screen but no keyboard has been tested in 57 out of 173 hospital trusts in England, and meets approved NHS specifications alongside similar products from Motion Computing and Philips.
Nurses found that MCAs have revolutionised their work, according to Barbara Stuttle, national clinical lead for nursing at NHS Connecting for Health.
“Trials were carried out in a hospital in Portsmouth and the staff did not want to give them back,” she said.
Tests showed that MCA devices reduced administrative errors and freed up nurses, allowing them to spend more time on patient care. The computers also make life easier for clinicians, according to Mike Bainbridge, clinical architect at NHS Connecting for Health.
“From a clinician’s point of view, allowing access to an online, up-to-date record for you, the patient, enables them to be better, more reactive, and more responsive,” he said.
Have your say on this article
Newsletters
Latest stories from Public Sector
Latest videos
You may also like
Public Sector jobs
Technology Patent Wars
Case studies from large organisations across all sectors
... And rich media, and flexible working, and peaks in traffic ...
Upcoming Events
Join us for this Computing web seminar, in which the Head of BI at the Co-operative Group Nick Colebourn will be explaining just how he reigned in the Group’s sprawling database estate and how significant savings were realised and data quality improved as a result.
Date: 31 May 2012
Time: 11:00 AM
Live June 13th 11:00am: Register now. During this web seminar we will be looking at the sorts of incidents that can bring data centres grinding to a halt and what can be done about them.
Date: 13 Jun 2012
Time: 11:00 am
Receive the latest jobs direct to your inbox
Are you being paid what you are worth?
