Ready for wireless?

It's a matter of short-term pain for long-- term gain. While some argue our cash-- strapped health-care system cannot afford to make investments in technology,

I would argue we can't afford not to. Obviously, it's going to cost money, and a lot of it -for hardware, software, training, maintenance and service. But in the long run, it could streamline the health-care system, saving time, reducing inefficiencies and cutting down on unnecessary duplication. More importantly, it will improve patient care and possibly save lives.

Mobile technology is starting to catch on in the public sector, and will be of particular benefit to the medical field. For example, the Ontario Joint Replacement Registry (OJRR) is using PDAs in the operating room to improve the quality of joint replacement surgery.

The OJRR provides Compaq iPAQ Pocket PCs to the 175 orthopedic surgeons in the province, who use them with barcode scanners during surgery to log the model number and lot numbers of replacement joints used. They can also track important patient information from the initial referral through to post-- surgery follow-up.

Data from this pilot project played a part in the provincial government's decision to fund 3,000 more joint replacements per year, from 19,000 to 22,000. But the real benefit? The project has played a role in reducing the waiting list for joint replacement surgery.

Computer-makers are starting to target mobile solutions at the public sector. Compaq Canada, for example, is looking for Canadian health-care partners to replicate a wireless system already in the hands of some U.S. physicians. In the news section on page 6, reporter Andy Shaw points out that several American hospitals are already using this system to diagnose patients, detail treatment, order drugs and make notes - all in real time.

And in this month's feature report on mobile technology (see page 12), Jennifer M. O'Brien outlines the technology and standards making wireless a reality for the public sector. A host of hardware is on the market, including phones, laptops, handhelds, PDAs, pen-based devices and even wearable computers powered by wireless network cards, embeddable wireless modules and wireless modems.

And, she points out, wireless is natural fit for a number of government departments, including the environment, natural resources and transportation, to name a few.

Wireless technology has become a lot simpler, and a number of wireless communications standards (such as Bluetooth) are coming together to make it all happen. I'm the first to admit that technology can't solve all our problems, particularly in the health-care sector. But for government departments and agencies considering mobile technology, the timing has never been better.

Copyright Plesman Publications Ltd. Jul 2001
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