Mobile IT improves patient care

Lancashire Ambulance Service is installing smartcard-based mobile technology to speed up and improve the treatment of patients.

The service is installing electronic forms that run on PDAs in 55 ambulances and its helicopter. Patient data is recorded on the device, downloaded onto a smartcard and handed to hospital staff in accident and emergency on arrival.

Staff and patients will benefit from the technology, says Paul Bastow, clinical effectiveness manager.

'This is enabling us to monitor what is happening in patient care,' he said. 'If we can monitor it, we can improve it, because it's based on real evidence. It's too labour intensive to do that with the paper-based system.'

NTL Broadcast's Public Safety group has been awarded a five-year contract worth £500,000 to provide the system.

'It makes traditional delivery more efficient and reduces clinical risk to the patient,' said Bastow.

When the smart card is downloaded at the hospital a printout of the data is given to staff, but within six months Bastow says it will link directly with hospital systems and eventually transmit both ways, so ambulance staff can access health records on the move.

Lancashire will install the technology in its vehicles by October and at 20 hospitals and 24 stations.