(Mobility + Middleware) > Mobility + Middleware

We’ve all heard the expression that “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts,” and here is a perfect example of that. You may be familiar with applications which are used to deliver point-of-care alerts like nurse call or patient monitors to third-party systems such as in-building wireless phones. These applications are generalized as “middleware” for obvious reasons.

You may also be familiar with the Joint Commission’s requirement that each activity associated with a patient be documented. One of the key phrases we hear all the time from our customers is “audit trail.” Most Amcom systems do a great job of enabling administrators to view an audit trail of the many changes made or messages sent. However, mobility within a hospital has an inverse relationship with ability to log activity. And with smartphones in play, this challenge is certainly magnified.

We speak often about doctors and other hospital staff who wish to move away from their pager and consolidate messaging to their smartphone. What happens when the same shift is made with in-building wireless phones? Currently a patient can activate their nurse call system, and use the pillow speaker to speak directly with a nurse on a wireless set from Polycom or Cisco - pretty cool. Can the same functionality be available someday using smartphones?

Manufactures such as RIM are already anticipating these needs, and are developing services such as the BlackBerry MVS (Mobile Voice System) which allows a BlackBerry to be fully integrated with an organization’s PBX, and act just like a phone set off the switch.

Looking forward, we see a scenario where a patient setting off a nurse call system will notify the nurse via his or her smartphone, and with a service such as MVS in place the nurse can directly speak with the patient regarding the nature of the patient’s need. By streamlining the communication process between the patient and nurse your organizations could reduce falls and increase patient satisfaction.

Now imagine that smartphone being integrated with the hospital’s EMR system. With this connection in place, we could log the times of these transactions to the patient’s record, visible at any time. There’s your audit trail. Granted, this is pretty far over the skis from where we are today, but these are the types of scenarios we’re looking ahead to.

Another sample scenario would be critical lab results being received by doctors and nurses on their smartphones. The doctors would then be able to respond and acknowledge the results, all the while creating the elusive audit trail and automating the communication process. This would have an effect on patient safety and satisfaction by ensuring they receive appropriate care in a timely manner.

The increase mobility within hospitals is great, as it the functionality offered through middleware applications. Combine the two and you’re introducing capabilities far greater than the sum of these disparate parts.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on how you see middleware pairing with mobile devices – especially smartphones – at your facility. Leave us a note below!