E-prescribing tablet at Heart of England

Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust has bought 100 Panasonic Toughbook tablet computers as part of its roll out of e-prescribing.

The CF-H1 Mobile Clinical Assistant tablets, which are docked on the trust’s existing drugs trolleys, will allow nurses to access and record information at the patients’ bedside and increase the time they spend with patients.

The initial order placed is for 111 Toughbook CF-H1’s. The selection was made after an eight week trial in which nurses found that the trolley mounted approach helped to make sure that the mobile device was constantly charged.

Panasonic says the trial also demonstrated that the device could be easily removed and taken to the patient’s bedside, to ensure that the right drug was given to the right patient at the right time.

According to the company, use of the mobile devices contributed to a 12% increase in the amount of time nurses could spend with patients.

“Compared to traditional solutions, such as PCs on a trolley, the Toughbook CF-H1 drug trolley e-prescribing solution is fast, efficient and flexible,” said Mandie Sunderland, chief nurse at Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust.

“The Toughbooks can be easily fitted to our existing trolleys or mounted on ward walls for use by nursing staff.”

Designed for use in healthcare, the CF-H1 MCA is a lightweight, shock and water-resistant tablet computing device.

It allows doctors and nursing staff to benefit from instant access to medical records at the point of care and record accurate documentation on patient conditions and medication.

Chris Wood, healthcare business manager at Panasonic Computer Products Europe, added: “This Toughbook solution allows NHS trusts to make the most of the equipment and software applications they have today.

"But as applications evolve to more touchscreen friendly systems, the CF-H1 tablets are future proofed to meet the demands of NHS technology innovations.”

The CF-H1 is the first Mobile Clinical Assistant to offer a fanless design – limiting the opportunity for germs to be transported by the device.

To encourage disinfection, a Panasonic-designed software utility can be programmed to remind users to wipe the unit down at defined intervals. This automatically records a successful cleaning for the hospital’s permanent records.