• Mobile messaging (i.e Blackberry) for the physician

Attn : The Committee of Health Information Systems

Re : Capacity Building : Application of Blackberry (R ) IT to Enhance Patient Care delivery

Project overview

The use of Blackberry Business Solutions mobile phone software and services will allow Health Information Systems to be tailored to meet the organizations unique needs integration of services , efficient communications across staffs , effective and patient focused care delivery . The system will enable physicians to contact each other access records , information , studies , other professionals and patients to be able to conference by way of video-phone technology enhance patient

care improve worker satisfaction and lower costs to the organization

Background Information

In the past the rapid rise of healthcare delivery costs , escalating and comprehensive changes to procedures and medical equipment , an increasingly aging population coupled with a decrease in medical personnel has resulted in patient safety and healthcare concerns . It is clear that current technologies have been inadequate to meet the changing needs of this centre and the patient . In the past year there have been two malpractice law suits against this centre . Also there is a staff turnover rate of 15 every 3 months . Patients frequenting the centre have dropped 35 in twelve months . It is obvious that precision technology is needed for workplace integration , safety and to regain a high standard of patient care

Objectives

This project aims to Enable the physician to deliver health care anywhere and anytime Provide the physician with almost instant access to knowledge , personnel and software Provide a unique method of accessing Electronic Health Records (EHR Encourages creative problem-solving amongst physicians Enable effective application of human resources Provide better opportunities for multi-disciplinary inputs Enhance decision making when an ethical dilemma is encountered

Scope

Deliver real-time multi-disciplinary and effective healthcare to the patient To maintain confidentiality and security of patient 's personal details Not to provide medical supervision or treatment over the Internet except in extreme emergency circumstances

Constraints /Assumptions

Need to ensure that use of phones do not interfere with medical equipment changes to policy will allow physicians to use mobile phones within the centre . Need to explore insurance options for potential loss of phones . Staff will need additional training to be able to use the hardware and software efficiently . New policy needs to be implemented to cover the use and misuse of the phones in the delivery of healthcare

Development Strategy

A staff meeting needs to be called to explore the idea . Training needs must be determined . A timeline needs to be created to switchover to the mobile system . A trial period of 2 months is needed to iron out "bugs in the system . The use of phones needs to be monitored with a user-survey Pre and post surveys to determine patient satisfaction should be carried out every three months for the first year . Outsourcing to install the software , to provide training and follow up support for the phone system is also needed

Benefits

1 ) Allows for evidence-based practice of healthcare at the point of care (i .e . empirical data collection

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