Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is
deploying a wireless local area network (WLAN) to
help improve patient care.
The WLAN will be installed by Alcatel-Lucent business partner
Khipu Networks. It will be used with printed patient wristbands
to automate blood donation tracking and streamline the process of
dispensing drugs.
The network improves bedside care by improving knowledge shared
among clinical staff with
secure access to patient records and
hospital resources at any time and from any location.
The network is based on the Alcatel-Lucent OmniAccess WLAN
technology. The initial rollout will provide up to 400 staff with
wireless access. It is capable of supporting more than 10,000
devices.
Staff can check medical notes, instantly book x-rays, MRI and CT
scans and follow-up appointments from the patient's bedside with
the WLAN.
Paperwork is reduced, freeing time for clinicians.
"Wireless is absolutely imperative if we are to deliver the best
possible quality of care to our patients," said Bob Down, IT
manager at Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. "With the new
network, our clinical staff can instantly confirm that the right
patient is receiving the right blood and the right medication, and
these checks can be undertaken anywhere in the hospital - at the
bedside, in theatre or on the wards.
"We can cut down on the paperwork while improving the safety of
the services we offer. This is great for both our staff and our
patients."
In 2009, the Trust plans to
add voice over IP (VoIP) to the wireless network, which will
dramatically reduce the Trust's telephony costs.
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