Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital is one of the latest to leverage the capabilities of Internet of Things (IoT) powered by Microsoft’s technologies to enable doctors to spend less time at computers and more time at bedsides.
The hospital created an intelligent system that speeds up access to patient data. The system connects 175 new thin clients— devices that draw on centralized computing power — and its physicians’ own tablets and other devices to existing datacenters and systems.
Based on Microsoft technology, the 175 new thin clients run Windows Embedded; the back-end infrastructure is powered by Windows Server, Microsoft SQL Server and Active Directory Domain Services.
Thanks to the system, physicians can get anytime anywhere access to data, from patient records and test results to prescriptions and more. As a result the hospital is able to focus on its core activity—providing better patient care by improving doctor efficiency.
“Access to patient information was a priority,” says Adnan Hamid, director of Information Services at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital. “We can build a great system, but if we can’t provide an easy path to data, then we’re facing a barrier for adoption.”
Further, Henry Mayo implemented an intelligent single sign-on system from HealthCast to vastly simplify the data-access process. The system provides doctors with secure access to review lab tests, enter prescriptions, or look at patient records from installed terminals or their own laptop, tablet or smartphone, so they can provide care from anywhere.
Following the implementation of the new system, Henry Mayo’s IT staff has seen a 70 percent drop in password-related help-desk calls. With bar-code scanners for patient wristbands and medication labels, the system makes it easy to add new devices and apps in the future, to increase the amount of information that can be captured and used for patient care.
