UCSF Nurses Test Mobile Clinical Assistant Tablet PCs

Nurses at the University of California San Francisco Medical Center will be among the first health care workers to use a tablet-like PC called a mobile clinical assistant (MCA), developed specifically for medical professionals by Intel and Motion Computing. Motion Computing's C5 is the first product based on Intel's MCA platform and has earned support from clinicians and nurses participating in pilot studies around the world. As Intel's first platform built specifically for healthcare, the MCA is an important step in the company's efforts to better connect clinicians to comprehensive patient information on a real-time basis. The lightweight, spill-resistant, drop-tolerant and easily disinfected MCA allows nurses to access up-to-the-minute patient records and to document a patient's condition instantly, enhancing clinical workflow while reducing the staff's administrative workload. Some of the Motion C5 features designed to ease the nurse's daily workload include wireless connectivity to access up-to-date secure patient information and physician's orders; radio frequency identification (RFID) technology for easy, rapid user logon; a digital camera to enhance patient charting and progress notes, to keep track of wounds as they heal; and bluetooth technology to help capture patient vital signs.

Nurse Agatha Ekeh, right, updates patient Charles Khim's medical record using Motion Computing's C5, the first product based on Intel's mobile clinical assistant platform, Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2007, at UCSF Medical Center. Lightweight, spill-resistant, durable, and easily disinfected, the mobile clinical assistant is wirelessly connected, allowing nurses to access up-to-the-minute patient records.

The University of California, San Francisco Medical Center collaborated with Motion Computing on the C5's development. The medical center is now conducting pilots to measure improvements in workflow and nursing satisfaction with regard to patient care. The MCA enables nurses to spend more time with patients, do their jobs on the move while remaining connected, and manage the administration of medications. "The announcement... represents a new kind of collaboration between hardware and software companies and end-users, such as UCSF, to bring a solution to the market that better meets the needs of nurses and doctors," said Michael Blum, MD, medical director of Information Technology at UCSF Medical Center and associate clinical professor of medicine in Internal Medicine at UCSF. Related Links: Intel's New Device Helps Hospital Patients
CNET News, February 20, 2007 Slideshow: Intel Checks into the Hospital
CNET News, February 20, 2007 UCSF Nurses Test Tablet PCs
CNET News, February 20, 2007 Intel Technology Allows Nurses to Spend More Time with Patients
Intel News Release, February 20, 2007 Mobile Clinical Assistant Overview
Intel UCSF Medical Center