News
Fujitsu Siemens launches mobile clinical assistant
17 November 2008
Fujitsu Siemens Computers has announced the launch of the Esprimo MA,
a tablet PC designed for mobile working in the healthcare sector. It is
based on the Intel Mobile Clinical Assistant platform and features the
new Intel Atom low-power processor designed to give long battery life
for mobile devices. It closely follows the launch of the Panasonic MCA
earlier this month, which also features the Intel Atom. It will be
available in production quantities in the second quarter of 2009.
The Esprimo MA weighs only 1.3kg and is fanless, which enables it to
have a fully sealed housing that can be sterilised for use in healthcare
environments. It has integrated high-speed 3G/UMTS (3G is optional),
WLAN and Bluetooth wireless communications.
Unlike earlier MCA designs, the Esprimo MA has a dual smartcard
reader to ensure maximum security for sensitive patient data. It has a
long battery life (up to four hours) and a hot-swap feature for
replacing the battery, which enables it to be used for extended periods
without returning it to a docking station for recharging. When in the
docking station it is physically locked to the station and cannot be
removed without a dedicated digital pen. The Esprimo MA also has an
integrated barcode scanner, RFID reader and an auto focus camera.
 
The Fujitsu Siemens Esprimo MA
To integrate the Esprimo MA into clinics and hospitals, Fujitsu
Siemens Computers and its partner Intel are working closely with various
manufacturers of clinical software to ensure full compatibility with the
Intel MCA platform. It already meets all the requirements of the German
organisation Gematik regarding
future mobile use of the electronic healthcare card for general
practitioners and emergency services in Germany.
One of the major trends in
hospitals is the replacement of hard-copy paper documentation with
online digital documentation. The driver behind this is that efficient
processes are crucial to the success of clinics and hospitals as
commercial constraints on healthcare increase. Legally, doctors must
maintain comprehensive treatment and medication records; but fewer
employees are available overall for an increasing number of patients.
The flood of data can no longer be managed using normal paper
procedures. About 80% of archived paper documents are already in need of
revision. A sophisticated IT infrastructure is needed to ensure that
doctors have time to focus on patients, rather than administrative work.
Fujitsu
Siemens Computers, the leading European IT infrastructure provider, also
offers devices for clinics and healthcare facilities that are tailored
for the healthcare sector as part of its 'Dynamic Infrastructures'
service. The Esprimo MA is the latest addition to this offering. It integrates seamlessly into the Dynamic
Infrastructures service and can
also be easily integrated into an existing hospital IT infrastructure.
The robust tablet PC can be used at patients’ bedsides, in the
examination room or even on the move. Instead of noting patient data on
paper and later transferring that data to a PC, nursing staff can
archive information digitally on-site. This saves time and gives doctors
access to patient data immediately from wherever they are.
"Many modern clinics have already recognised that a specialist
mobility strategy is increasingly important to maximise the
efficiency of processes and for patient well-being. As a result, demand
for mobile PCs in the healthcare sector is at an all time high,” said
Armin Kumpf, Senior Director Business Mobile at Fujitsu Siemens
Computers.
“Our new Esprimo MA offers this important market a product
that has been developed specifically for the industry’s requirements;
one which more than meets the exacting and unique demands of a clinical
environment and which paves the way for the effective use of mobile
applications within the IT infrastructure used by hospitals and in
surgeries."
|