Introduction
The “University Medical Centre”, in Magdeburg, Germany is the largest hospital in the former administrative district of Regierungsbezirk Magdeburg. It has 1,200 beds and each year serves more than 43,000 people on an inpatient basis. If outpatients are included, this number reaches 150,000. The modern medical center can trace its roots to the hospital Sudenburg founded in 1896, and has had a lengthy history, touched by two world wars, reconstruction, growth and its association with the Otto von Guericke Universität. The Medical Faculty and the Universityof Magdeburg Clinic currently consist of 21 institutes and 24 clinics as well as a great variety of central facilities. The medical research area of the hospital focuses on two areas: neuroscience and immunology.
Solution
A medical center project was initiated to manage patient vital data, perform care planning and documentation, and have ready access to other internal information systems at hand (PACS, Labor, MIBI,Pathology), both near patient bedsides and in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The nursing professionals who provided bedside care and intensive, practice-oriented inpatient management needed electronic patient records which could be easily accessed and updated. The hospital was also interested in a solution that could be put in place without the need to hire any technical staff, and with minimal cleaning and maintenance efforts required.
Other requirements outlined in the project included:
n A Windows-based operating system
n Compliance with hygiene standards (antiseptic, dustproof, and water resistant)
n Low-noise in a small form factor
n Easily accessible interfaces
n Simple on-site installation
System
The Advantech PIN-M106 Medical Mini PC was selected for use next to approximately 60 beds in the intensive care units to provide information and online access. The PIN-M106 was chosen based on its outstanding performance as a medical grade computer (with UL60601-1/EN60601-1, CE & FCC Class B certifications) and its fanless design, with galvanic separation of all interface components. The water resistant and dustproof enclosure allowed for easy cleaning by the hospital’s staff. The PIN-M106 was suited for use in the ICU, where high brightness displays and visibility from a wide range of angles is important. And it also met the hospital’s requirements to conserve space and operate with low noise.
Benefits
After deployment, the University Medical Centre concluded that the standards regulations in the hospital had been met by PIN-M106. Cleaning and maintenance efforts were clearly reduced and there was noneed to hire additional staff. Dust was reduced in the areas near intensive care patients, and PIN-M106 lived up to its technical specifications. There was improvement and added convenience for patients and nursing staff alike. Overall the system proved to be a practical business system, integrating easily into the clinical network, and filling the needs to deliver timely and accurate electronic patient data, access to local systems, and management of vital patient care information and documentation.
The University Medical Centre cited thefollowing benefits provided by the PIN-M106:
n Improved efficiency
n Reduction in medication errors
n Increased patient privacy
n Reduction in ongoing maintenance expenditures