11 May 2007
Data just a tap away at patient's bedside (The Straits Times, 11 May 2007)
- New mobile devices allow Changi General Hospital staff to access info on the go

BYE BYE, PAPERWORK: Clipboards can now go into the bin, as the Mobile Clinical Assistant (above) offers instant data and a handwriting tool for scribbling instructions. -- EDWIN KOO


DOCTORS and nurses at Changi General Hospital (CGH) will soon see their clipboards replaced by mobile computers, enabling them to access patients' records on the move.

No bigger than a sheet of A4 paper, 12 of these Mobile Clinical Assistants (MCA) will be introduced into the hospital's accident and emergency (A&E) department in September.

Each one weighs about 1.3kg and is able to transmit data wirelessly at the touch of a button.

Looking like a typical tablet PC, the MCAs have a screen with a virtual keyboard and a handwriting tool for doctors and nurses to scribble instructions directly into the system.

The device promises to transform life for both staff and patients.

For example, during a two-week trial of the device in November last year, a patient who was unable to walk due to a hip and pelvic fracture was persuaded to undergo surgery after being shown his lab results and X-ray at his bedside.

Dr Goh Siang Hiong, chief of the A&E department at the hospital, said: 'It fills the gap between working at a workstation and being beside the patient to treat and comfort him.

'I was no longer stuck to the desktop at the workstation. The MCA gave me great mobility and I was able to interact with patients.'

Previously, Dr Goh had to write down instructions or comments about a patient's condition onto a piece of paper on a clipboard and key the information into a desktop computer later on.

The MCAs, which communicate wirelessly with the CGH client server, also have a built-in digital camera that enables doctors to take pictures of a patient's injury to refer to later.

Using bluetooth technology, they can also capture a patient's vital signs from a heart monitor and alert doctors of any abnormalities.

CGH senior nurse clinician Elaine Ng Kim Choon also tested out the device.

She said it initially had difficulty reading her handwriting, while she found it too heavy. Eventually, though, she and the MCA grew accustomed to each other.

'I like it as I can see the information instantly. With the hard copy, everyone had to write the data, which was very time-consuming.'

What this means for the patient is essentially faster and better delivery of care and enhanced interaction with doctors, the hospital said.

CGH's chief executive officer and chairman of SingHealth IT Steering Committee, Mr T.K. Udairam, said: 'It is providing doctors access to what we have on the desktop PC right at the bedside of the patient, anywhere they move around the wards.'

The device costs between $2,000 and $3,000, similar to a tablet computer. The hospital plans to order 12 to be used in the A&E department.

Currently, two other hospitals worldwide are planning to implement the device in wards around the same time as CGH.

One is El Camino Hospital in Northern California and the other is Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust in Britain.

In Singapore, the National University Hospital (NUH) already uses a tablet PC in triage, registration and consultation.

Both NUH and Alexandra Hospital also have an online queue viewer system that lets patients check on the length of the queue at their emergency waiting areas.

Intel, which developed the technology, said there are currently no plans to introduce MCAs in other hospitals in Singapore.

A TIME-SAVER
'I like it as I can see the information instantly. With the hard copy, everyone had to write the data, which was very time- consuming.'
MS ELAINE NG KIM CHOON, CGH senior nurse clinician

jessicaj@sph.com.sg