Network technology

TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION

Innovative use of wireless technology at St Bernhard Hospital

Since hospital IT departments moved on from just dealing with accounts and billing to delivering complex medical information, the goal has been to make this information available instantly where it matters most, at the patients bedside.

Up until now some of the most common solutions have been based on personal digital assistants (PDAs) and tablet PCs. But in the case of the 126-bed St Bernhard Hospital in Brake, Germany, these solutions were not appropriate. PDAs did not interface with its laboratory information system or its radiology information system and tablet PCs were simply too expensive.

Initially, the director of the data-processing department, Christian Karnatz, was reluctant to use notebooks, largely because of limited battery life and the need to have direct access to the centrally stored electronic patient records.

But then IP-based network-access-technology firm Funkwerk Enterprise Communications came up with the idea of using dry-cell batteries. In contrast to standard notebook batteries these provide enough energy to last through any ward round, are designed for several thousand recharging cycles and have a five-year warranty.
The ward round trolleys could be simply fitted to store the dry-cell batteries and locks installed to prevent the notebooks from being stolen.

Then there was the issue of connectivity. In contrast to many PDA-based applications that provide offline access to data only, the hospital needed direct, continuous access. The data capacity of the existing DECT wireless network was too low and, owing to insufficient bandwidth, Bluetooth was also out of the question.

The focus turned to wireless local area networks (WLANs). While still slow to become accepted in hospitals, WLAN standards such as the IEEE 802.11x and WEP and WPA security standards have become well established. The most common variants are 802.11g at 54Mbps and 802.11b supporting up to 11Mbps.

Tests using Nuremberg-headquartered Funkwerks wireless access points (APs) and antennas provided full coverage by using just two or three APs per ward. And because the sending capacity of the antennas was so high, the integrated wireless LAN cards in the notebooks were sufficient for the data access.

The proposition was compelling and Karnatz invested around €3,000 into the wireless network infrastructure for the two internal medical wards that also gave the surgical wards on the floor above direct access to the network. So with the new notebooks, four wards were equipped for less than €8,000.

The information systems are all client-server applications so any files that are temporarily created on the notebook are automatically deleted each time the notebook is shut down, preventing unauthorised access by third parties.

Brake Hospitals medical controller Dr Alexander Poppinga explains: In former times, we could only draw on the laboratory findings of the previous day to make diagnostic or therapy decisions during the ward round. The nurses sorted these findings into the patients files prior to the ward round and entered instructions into the electronic information systems after the ward round. Now we can access the current diagnostic data directly at the patients bedside, book appointments for examinations directly and communicate them to the patient.

The time saved during the preparation and post-processing of ward rounds alone is enough to justify the investment. In fact, a time saving of just 15 minutes per day provides a return on investment in approximately one year. And with instant access to up-to-date information, and with faster treatment decisions, patients can be discharged sooner. So, the WLAN at Brake Hospital is not only good news for patients but it saves time and money for the hospital as well.