IT solution makes Jewish General Hospital in Montreal more efficient

At Jewish General Hospital in Montreal, you won’t hear the buzzers triggered by patients’ call buttons, and you won’t hear the public address system paging doctors.

Physicians and nurses now carry wireless telephones that work over the hospital’s computer network.
Call buttons with voice capabilities are linked to the phone system, so a patient in need can let an assigned nurse know what the problem is right away rather than just ringing a buzzer at the nursing station.

"It means better response to patients’ needs and it means doctors waste less time," says Stephen Rosenthal, the hospital’s associate director of medical informatics.

In the past, Dr. Rosenthal explains, the usual way to reach a doctor was to page him or her via the public address system. This added noise in an already busy environment where patients need quiet. The doctor being paged had to find a telephone to call back, and by that time the person at the other end might be unavailable.

Cellphones weren’t an option because of potential interference with some sensitive medical equipment, Dr. Rosenthal says.
But the wireless IP phones serve the same purpose: Calls can now go directly to the doctor, eliminating the paging and telephone tag.

Jewish General first tried a wireless phone system in its emergency room, using older technology, then switched to a voice over IP (VOIP) network and expanded throughout inpatient areas about a year ago. This past summer it was extended into outpatient clinics as well.
Put together by IBM Canada Ltd. and Symbol Technologies Inc., the system now supports about 100 phones for physicians, nurses and administrators.

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Editor's opinion:

"This is a great example of how technology can make communication processes in the hospital more efficient. It will reduce time which can be better used to serve patients. More institutions in health care and hospitals should adopt initiatives like this to cut costs.

There's a task for IT companies to promote their solutions and cater to the health care industry."

Revolutionary Home Health Monitoring Solution announced

Patients with chronic illnesses may soon be able to monitor their vital signs, such as pulse, blood pressure and glucose levels, and send the information to their doctor from a cellphone, researchers announced yesterday.

A new handheld high-tech device, dubbed the Home Health Monitoring Solution, has been developed by technology giant LG Electronics in partnership with Capital Health in Edmonton and the University of Alberta.

The prototype of what officials described as a first of its kind uses new sensing technology to allow patients to send their physiological information wirelessly to their health-care provider.

Eventually, it may be configured to be built right into a cellphone just as photography and music capabilities are today.

Neil Wilkinson, chairman of the Capital Health Board, said the gadget could potentially be used by patients with diabetes, heart disease and other chronic conditions that require frequent checkups.

It could be particularly useful for seniors with limited mobility, patients who live in rural areas and those on new medications who require constant monitoring.

Neil Wilkinson, chairman of the Capital Health Board, said the gadget could potentially be used by patients with diabetes, heart disease and other chronic conditions that require frequent checkups.
It could be particularly useful for seniors with limited mobility, patients who live in rural areas and those on new medications who require constant monitoring.

Kwyro Lee, an executive vice-president of LG Electronics who travelled to Edmonton from South Korea to take part in yesterday's announcement, described the Alberta government as a "matchmaker" for initiating the partnership between researchers in the province and his company's engineers.

Dr. Lee, who is also head of LG's research institute, said he hopes to create a new medical device that will help patients not only in Alberta, but across the continent.

The first stage of tests in the three-year project is set to begin next month.
It will involve monitoring blood pressure, pulse and temperature.
Down the road, glucose levels and other blood chemistry markers will be added as features.

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