In 2009, a new virulent form of influenza swept the world, reaching Japan in the spring, and prompting the rapid formulation of emergency measures by the government. At Tokai Municipal Hospital, a means of coping with the anticipated pandemic was set up by creating the super-flu Outpatients Clinic. The Toughbook H1 Health Mobile Clinical Assistant was introduced in the main hospital as part of integrated measures to fight a possible super-flu pandemic and prevent any outbreak of influenza from spreading. The H1 was selected, in part, because it was designed to be sanitized.

“Because it can be so easily disinfected, we chose the H1 as the best terminal for use when dealing with super-flu outpatients,” said Mr. Atsuhito Yamada, Radiological Technologist and Health Information Technologist Medical Professions Division, Head of IT Promotion Group Medical Information Section. “The body doesn’t have any projections or recesses; you can wipe it with alcohol.”

Beyond ease of sanitization, the Toughbook H1 offered benefits that made it an ideal fit for Tokai Municipal. The hospital found that the device’s durability, coupled with excellent connectivity and integrated features like a camera and barcode scanner, resulted in increased productivity for its clinical staff.

Click here for the full Tokai Municipal Hospital case study.  Additional information regarding Toughbook computers in healthcare can be found here.

The medical facility found that the Toughbook H1 Health easily integrated with its EMR software system and offered the durability, integrated features, usability and excellent warranty needed to maximize return on investment. As a result of the implementation, Bates County Memorial Hospital has significantly streamlined clinical workflow.

The mobile device’s lightweight and ergonomic design is beneficial for the staff while completing daily clinical tasks such as capturing vital signs, entering patient information, reviewing medical records, administering medication, capturing patient authorizations and discharging patients. To date, Bates has deployed more than 45 Toughbook H1 Health MCAs throughout its facility.

View the full Bates County Memorial Hospital Toughbook H1 Health case study here.

Panasonic Toughbook H1 Health’s long-lasting battery life and ability to be repeatedly sanitized with hospital-grade disinfectants, meant it was a perfect mobile solution for an on-the-go and highly-infectious environment. Now, clinical pharmacists are able to bring the device with them and access critical information at the bedside– even in contagious areas of the hospital, eliminating paper-based processes and decreasing the risk of errors while preventing the spread of disease.

The full story is available on Panasonic Toughbook Australia’s blog at the following link.

The device’s integrated features – including a barcode scanner and camera – helped nurses streamline workflow by allowing them to document a patient’s condition at the point of care. Another advantage of the Toughbook H1 was its embedded wireless capability. With WiFi access throughout the hospital, nurses were able to complete patient care documentation and other activities without the need to find a fixed workstation.

Ultimately, by deploying the Toughbook H1 Health, Pioneers Memorial Hospital has been able to strengthen its commitment to providing care in a safe and efficient manner.

View the full Pioneers Memorial Hospital Toughbook H1 Health case study at this link.

For the study, two members of the nursing staff were equipped with Toughbook H1 Health MCA devices.  The nurses were able to access the hospital’s information system as well as frequently consulted information.  The Toughbook H1 Health was used in day-to-day care for a group of hospitalized patients and workflow was observed and measured repeatedly over the course of the study.

Prior to the deployment of the Toughbook H1 Health MCAs, observations and measurements were made of the nursing staff conducting the same procedures with a group of patients in the same areas of the hospital. This was done using conventional methods which included taking notes at bedside using pen and paper and later inputting data into the appropriate hospital information system.

After comparing the results, the hospital saw a dramatic improvement in workflow efficiency when using the Toughbook H1 Health.  Perpetration time was eliminated; medication and note taking was cut approximately in half and water (or fluid) balancing time was cut by approximately one third.  In total, the hospital saw a 40 percent reduction in the time its nurses used to conduct their daily work.

The full study is available for download on the Panasonic Computer Products Europe web site at the following link

Steve thinks there are many groundbreaking solutions out there that could effectively help pull solution providers out of a tailspin.  Five of these products are listed in his post, including the Toughbook® H1.

Regarding the Toughbook H1, Steve says:

“Panasonic: A life saver. A 100 percent channel-focused company in a hot horizontal (rugged notebooks) that has just launched a slam dunk: the new H1 Mobile Medical Assistant. The H1 is a breakthrough product in a market that badly needs it.”

Click the following link to see Steve’s full post and the other four vendors/products that made his list:
It’s Time To Take Off The Blinders

Announced in November of 2008, our fully-rugged Mobile Clinical Assistant (MCA) is based on the Intel® MCA Reference Architecture and aimed at healthcare professionals.