Motion's C5 Mobile Clinical Assistant Significantly Enhances Patient Care at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust

Online, February 8, 2010 (Newswire.com) - AUSTIN, TX and COVENTRY - February 8th, 2010 - Motion Computing, a leading provider of integrated mobile computing solutions, today announced that the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHBFT) has deployed more than 300 Motion C5 mobile clinical assistants (MCA) to help avoid potential medication errors and save approximately 10 percent of the drug budget due to more accurate prescribing and medication administration.

UHBFT is the leading university teaching hospital in the West Midlands. It is one of the most-consistently highest performing trusts in the NHS and has been rated 'excellent' for financial management and 'excellent' for quality of clinical and non-clinical services by the Healthcare Commission. The Trust serves approximately 500,000 patients annually thanks to more than 6,900 staff.

In an effort to improve productivity UHBFT deployed Motion's C5 mobile clinical assistants to help reduce medication errors, enhance the quality of data gathered at the patient's bedside and improve the overall quality of patient care. Used with its Prescribing Information Communication System (PICS), the C5s are helping the hospital to avoid between 400 and 450 potential medication errors each week.

"We deployed the Motion C5s with PICS to improve patient safety and to reduce errors by allowing the computer system to guide staff at the point of delivery of care," said David Rosser, Executive Medical Director, UHBFT. "We can also now analyse in great detail any potential areas that can lead to errors and continuously improve the system to even further reduce medication errors."

The Right Device

The Motion C5 is the industry's first mobile clinical assistant. Developed in collaboration with Intel and the NHS, it is designed specifically for healthcare environments. The highly mobile and rugged PC features an integrated barcode scanner, RFID reader, digital camera and smart card reader to ease clinician workloads, improve productivity and enhance patient care. At only 1.3kg and sealed for easy disinfection, the device is easily used at the patient's bedside and throughout the hospital.

"The C5 is far better than other devices we have used. It is rugged with a handle so it doesn't get dropped as often as other devices, but if it does it is still protected against breaking, so we are seeing a significant decrease in help desk calls due to improved reliability," said Ian Clarke, the Head of Wolfson Computer Labs. "Additionally, since it's a Windows-based device, integrating it with our PICS systems was incredibly simple."

Reaping the Rewards

UHBFT is realising significant benefits based on the deployment of the Motion C5. Clinicians can easily take the lightweight devices to the bedside, document drug histories and change prescriptions, all with the flexibility to move around the hospital with continued access to clinical records.

E-prescribing directly at the patient's bedside is improving the legibility of drug orders, reducing the duplication of drug charts and most importantly, helping clinicians ensure that the right drug is given to the right patient at the right time - all based on more accurate and up to date patient records. Going forward, the team plans to even further reduce medication errors by using the C5's integrated barcode scanner for patient identification.

"We can use the barcode scanner to identify patients before drugs are administrated," added Rosser. "This is a critical next step since 40 percent of medication errors in hospitals are related to giving the drugs, not prescribing the drugs.

Availability

The C5 is available from Motion's distributor, Tracline. Tracline has been providing IT products and related services for more than 20 years and is a health technology specialist with over 150 Trust clients. For more information visit www.tracline.co.uk or call 020-8952 7770.

For more information on Motion's complete line of tablet PCs and solutions, please visit www.motioncomputing.co.uk/solutions/healthcare.asp.

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Media contact:
Christian Harris, HMC
(t) +44 (0)7542 921922
(e) [email protected]

About Motion Computing
Motion Computing is a leading provider of integrated mobile computing solutions, combining world-class products with services customised for the unique needs of target vertical markets. The company's enhanced line of rugged tablet PCs, mobile point of care solutions and accessories are designed to increase mobile productivity while providing portability, security, power and versatility. Motion Mobility Solutions offers a complete portfolio of products, services and support that helps ensure a successful mobile deployment for increased productivity, reducing project risk while delivering a more rapid return on investment. For more information, visit www.motioncomputing.co.uk.