New Fetal Monitor
You don't see new patient monitors very often, the barriers to entry are rather steep. But here's one, the Barnev Computerized Labor Monitoring system. Using proprietary ultrasound technology, the system provides continuous measurement of
cervix dilatation and fetal head descent.
cervix and fetal head provide objective, continuous and accurate
cervical dilatation and fetal head descent data, reducing the need for
frequent vaginal examinations. The CLM automates and objectifies the
examination process, giving labor teams the accurate real-time
information they need to make truly informed decisions.
Very cool. Pictured right is the Barnev CLM.
[Hat tip: medcompare]
Philips Shows Wireless 802.11a/g IntelliVue Infrastructure
Reader Kyle slipped me this URL today, proclaiming 802.11a/g support for Philips patient monitors. Telemetry is not included – you'll still have to buy proprietary WMTS access points that only work with their telemetry monitors. The radios are packaged as “adapters” that fit in the patient monitor enclosures and, “operate wirelessly on the Philips IntelliVue 802.11 a/g infrastructure.”
Determining exactly what an “IntelliVue 802.11 a/g infrstructure” is will be one of my goals of HIMSS07. Further explanation is offered lower on the page:
The IntelliVue
802.11 Infrastructure is part of the IntelliVue Clinical Network which
is designed specifically to manage the flow of time-critical patient
monitoring data. Physical or logical isolation protects the entire
wired/wireless clinical network from many of the day-today hazards of
business networks, including viruses and transmission delays.
At the same time, the IntelliVue Clinical Network can maintain a
controlled connection with the hospital LAN so that valuable patient
information, such as lab results or PACS still images, can be delivered
to the bedside monitor or central station without disrupting the flow
of physiologic data or alarms.
That sounds like a private network with a dedicated infrastructure – geez, you might as well run everything on WMTS (which you'll have to for telemetry) for all those caveats. From their reference to “time-critical patient monitoring data” they must be running some non-TCP/IP time determinant variation of Ethernet/802.11, but I'll bet they're not.
The infrastructure supports IntelliVue monitors down to the M20 (pictured right). This leaves lower acuity monitors (you know, the one's that move around the most) like the M5, VM series, and new VS3 vital signs monitor out of luck. I'm sure there's more to this story…
New Motion Computing Point-of-Care Computing Device
Getting a jump on the competition before HIMSS, Motion Computing announced today the C5 mobile clinical assistant (MCA) tablet computer. The marketing folks are even trying to define their own product category anointing the C5 with its own acronym and referring to their device as, “a new computing category, created by Intel with support from Motion to enable nurses, physicians and other clinicians to do their jobs on the move.” Be still, my heart. From the press release:
This is an impressive list of features. And not mentioned in the quote above is the hardware accelerometer, shock-mounted hard drive and magnesium-alloy internal frame to give the unit “dropability,” an 802.11a/b/g radio and fingerprint reader for authentication. I also like the full-motion video camera feature – I'm sure that will get a lot of use.
Intel and Motion deserve kudos for creating a point of care device that meets important health care market requirements. Unfortunately the device still weighs 3 pounds and has a battery life of just 3 hours. During a 12 hour shift, that means caregivers will have to make 4 battery swaps – hmm, 16 nurses on a unit… that's 64 batteries! I will be looking for Motion's industrial charging system at HIMSS!
It seems to me the title of Mobile Clinical Assistant has already been won by COWs – computers on wheels. This device may end up the computer of choice for COWs (especially with a $2,199 list price), rather than traditional tablets, laptops and integrated PCs. I would guess only some hospitals will find it more convenient to lug a 3 pound computer barcode reader for meds administration rather than a purpose-built wireless barcode reader.
The market for point of care computing devices that support applications like charting is fragmented. Device preference is driven by the physical plant (room size and layout, door jams, etc.), institutional point of care workflow and even installed applications. Some hospitals will go with in-room computers mounted on the wall or on booms, some will put computers in alcoves outside rooms, and some will prefer the mobility of COWs. The C5 could even be deployed as a portable device paired with a COW that holds a docking station with a larger than 10.4 inch LCD mounted on the COW. Time will tell whether the mobile computing market will support a specialized device like the C5.
Look for my post from HIMSS on this new device. More on the C5 on jkOnTheRun and Health-IT World. Pictured right is the COW configuration of the C5.
UPDATE: Reader Bridget Moorman points us to this story on the BBC about the UK's NHS decision to buy the C5. This is great news for Motion, and indirectly the health care industry – a purchase like this could drive the creation of more products tailored health care. According to Dr Mike Bainbridge, a senior clinical architect for the NHS, “We anticipate that there are 300,000 practitioners
online at any one time in the NHS. How many will need one? Between 50
to 100%.”
Before they can really benefit from their purchase, they need to deploy WiFi networks.
There will be limitations on the roll-out of the
devices. The MCA needs a wi-fi network in place to be able to talk to a
hospital's main database – one of its most vital functions.
Dr Bainbridge did not know how many UK hospitals have widespread wi-fi networks.
Oops. [Insert Monty Python quote here.] Also, be sure to note the “new product category” moniker, “MCA,” used in the story.
The NHS is currently involved in a huge project to unify patient records on one database.
This records plan has generated controversy among many
GPs with many joining privacy advocates to express concerns about
confidentiality and which other agencies will have access to them.
It is usually advisable to purchase your software before buying hardware – especially with client devices that change so rapidly. By the time the NHS gets their wireless LANs and software set up, it will be time to refresh their MCAs. And then there's this:
Staff nurse Jenny Quilliam was impressed by how it improved her job.
“I was quite sceptical at first but after five minutes I
found it really easy to use,” she said, admitting that it was prone to
frequent crashes.
Lots of new products crash frequently, but I'm surprised there's no mention about batteries.
For you marketing types, the story mentions lots of good statistics about the benefits of point of care workflow automation. These data provide the justification for point of care automation, but do nothing to show the C5 (or any other specific point of care solution) as superior to their competitors.
Profile on Philips RFID Solution
This story in RFID Journal describes Philips Medical Systems' RFID solution. Philips teamed up with AeroScout, using their tags and positioning engine software. Here's an overview of the solution:
institutions manage their staff, patient care, assets and operations,
the system has been integrated with real-time location system (RTLS) hardware and software from San Mateo, Calif.-based RTLS specialist AeroScout.
The RTLS system includes AeroScout T2 active RFID tags; AeroScout
Exciters, which activate the tags to transmit their ID numbers, thus
providing location information whenever tags pass by their locations;
and AeroScout Engine, a software component that calculates tag locations by processing data from Wi-Fi access points and the active
tags. AeroScout's MobileView software associates each tag's ID with the
corresponding device, while also collecting and storing location data.
The MobileView software can also portray location information on a map,
or in a table or report format.
I'll be talking to both Philips and AeroScout at HIMSS about their joint solution. Pictured right is an AeroScout tag.
Philips IntelleVue Supports 802.11a/g
I was talking with someone in the industry who pointed me to this PDF file on Philips Medical Systems' web site. This electronic brochure for Philips' IntelliVue Telemetry System was remarkable for the use of the 2.4GHz band (still DECT though). My curiosity aroused, I looked further and found this PDF, touting the IntelleVue 802.11a/g infrastructure.
No, according to the Philips marketing manager I spoke with, they are not going to be among the many vendors to announce 802.11a support at HIMSS next week. These are their products for the ROW – that's “rest of world” in vendor lingo, or ABH “anywhere but here” for those who don't want to buy a separate and proprietary wireless infrastructure just for your patient monitors. Since other countries don't have dedicated frequency bands for medical telemetry, Philips must use other frequencies for their patient monitors. And yet, the following text is interesting:
Hmmm.
