The fragmentation of healthcare data in hospitals: a key problem
From MRI and CT scanners to electrocardiograms, oximeters and blood pressure monitors, modern medical devices collect an enormous amount of health data that is often difficult to access for the doctors and nurses who need it.
A key problem lies in the large number of medical device manufacturers, which leads to incompatible data formats and fragmentation of information. This makes it difficult for doctors and nurses to get a comprehensive picture of their patients' state of health.
A personal experience: How incompatibility makes treatment decisions more difficult
“Hospitals are gradually modernizing their technology so that they have a very heterogeneous hardware and software environment. Communication protocols are a major problem,” says Günter Deisenhofer, Product Manager for HMI systems at Kontron.
Devices that do not communicate with each other impair the efficiency of processes and make treatment decisions more difficult - a problem that Günter Deisenhofer recently experienced first-hand when he brought his son to a local hospital.
First, a member of staff measured his heart rate, blood pressure and oxygen saturation on admission and noted the information on a piece of paper. Later, his son was examined by a doctor, who measured his vital signs again and wrote them down on another piece of paper before sending him for an X-ray - where the process was repeated once more.
“At the end of the day, there were probably five slips of paper. They hadn't continuously monitored his condition and no one had an overview of it,” Deisenhofer says.
Fortunately, the situation turned out not to be serious. But with vital information coming in from different devices at different times - whether it's recorded on paper or encoded in incompatible software programs - doctors can never be sure what they might be missing.
Another hurdle to building a modern and homogeneous IT infrastructure is the restrictive but necessary hardware requirements of hospitals. Nursing stations, operating rooms and intensive care units, as well as the laboratories and pharmacies connected to them, must use computers that meet strict hygiene standards. In order to successfully transfer important patient data, the computers must also be very fast, reliable, easy to use and secure.
Kontron responds to the challenge: The MediClient All-in-One Panel PC
To meet all these requirements, Kontron has developed the MediClient Panel PC. This state-of-the-art Medical Panel PC is equipped with powerful Intel® processors and not only meets the strict hygiene regulations of hospitals, but also offers a user-friendly, secure and reliable platform for the integration and analysis of patient data.
How does the MediClient enable secure data exchange and what are the benefits?
By using a standardized protocol, data from various medical devices, wearables and patient records can be seamlessly integrated into the MediClient. To facilitate this open approach, the MediClient can use the IEEE 11073 standard for service-oriented device connectivity (SDC) standard. The associated communication protocols enable open interoperability with medical devices and medical information systems. They ensure secure data exchange in distributed systems based on hardware, software and service components from third-party providers and enable standardized communication across manufacturer boundaries.
This gives doctors and nurses quick access to relevant patient information and supports them in diagnosis and treatment. The MediClient enables continuous monitoring, even after the patient has been discharged from hospital, by seamlessly integrating data from wearable devices.
“With continuously available monitoring data, doctors can not only respond to acute emergencies, but also recognize long-term developments in their patients' health, which helps them make better diagnostic and treatment decisions,” explains Deisenhofer.
The MediClient devices comply with the international standard DIN EN 60601-1 for the safety and essential performance characteristics of medical electrical equipment. The isolation of the power supply minimizes the risk of electromagnetic interference, while the EN 60601-1 certified isolated interfaces and wireless interfaces (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth) enable reliable connectivity between medical devices and hospital information systems. RFID is optionally available for hygienic and contactless identification.
The highest standards apply to ergonomics and hygiene
In order to meet the high standards of hygiene and ergonomics in medical technology, the MediClient was designed without a fan and with a dust-proof housing and has a seamless front made of continuous tempered glass without sharp edges, making all surfaces easy to disinfect. The powder-coated stainless steel back is also easy to clean, and the entire device is resistant to cleaning agents and chemicals, designed for durability, mechanical stability and high reliability.
The PCAP touch display offers a glare-free, fingerprint-resistant surface that can be operated with two layers of gloves and is easy to read even in difficult lighting conditions. It detects drops (drop rejection) and supports palm rejection to prevent unintentional interface events or operating errors. The system is shock and vibration resistant, easily mountable with VESA 100 for swivel arms or wall mounts.
You can find more information about our Medical Panel PC at:
https://www.kontron.com/en/products/mediclient/p170488
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This article was written by the Kontron editorial team using text excerpts from Teresa Meek (freelance journalist).
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