At A Glance
Top Hospital Wields Cisco Aironet Wireless Solutions to Improve Patient Care
June 3, 2004
By Stacy Williams, News@Cisco
During an emergency operation, a surgeon receives time-critical patient information and images that prompt a quick alteration in the procedure, ultimately saving the patient's life.
As a trauma patient is wheeled into the Emergency Room, nurses use wireless laptops to register the patient and order medications on the spot-while the staff proceeds apace with emergency care.
A nurse provides guidance to an open-heart surgery patient's wife before releasing the patient from the hospital. The nurse has more time to spend with patients and their loved ones because of efficient robots that carry medical supplies from one hospital floor to another, eliminating a time-consuming duty from the nurse's busy to-do list.
These are just a few of the ways that Ohio State University (OSU) Medical Center is wielding Cisco wireless solutions to reduce time spent on menial tasks and distribute critical information where and when it is needed. At this advanced facility, a Cisco wireless network and the applications it enables have reduced costs, relieved the staff of non-strategic work and paved the way for exciting new applications that may seem futuristic but are commonplace here.
"Caregivers wanted a means of electronic order entry at the bedside where they wouldn't be tied to PCs in the hallway," says Greg Telles, OSU Medical Center network engineer. "This was the key driver, but others saw the potential of wireless in other areas, such as bringing critical data to a surgeon in the middle of an operation. The more we looked at wireless, the broader the potential implications became."
Widely recognized for its programs in areas such as heart care, cancer, orthopedics, organ transplantation and neuroscience, the OSU Medical Center serves 800,000 patients per year, providing a level of treatment beyond the scope of many community hospitals.
Among the first large medical campuses to adopt wireless, the Medical Center recognized the flexibility and close-to-the-patient convenience of wireless in the late 1990s, and began adopting a comprehensive strategy. After an in-depth look at the wireless market, OSU Medical Center engineers selected Cisco Aironet products, a natural fit with the facility's existing Cisco infrastructure. The facility has since installed Cisco Aironet access points across the entire Medical Center campus.
One of the newest and most valuable innovations utilizing the wireless technology is the Medical Center's Automatic Transport System (ATS), a network of nearly 50 robot transporters, each capable of carrying up to 1,000 pounds of nursing paraphernalia, linens, meals and other items between patient wings and a service floor. Cisco Aironet access points transmit instructions to the battery-powered robots, which drop off and pick up items at designated points based on commands from a central computer.
"The robots relieve the staff of an enormous amount of menial work, freeing more time for interacting with and caring for patients," Telles says. "It is an excellent application of cutting-edge technology, all automated by wireless."
Bedside order entry and registration is another frequently used application that helps staff deliver more prompt, efficient care. Wireless is also moving into operating rooms, where staff administering intravenous fluids can use wireless laptops to enter patient data during surgery. The hospital pharmacy also uses wireless to input medication orders, monitor patient laboratory values, collect data for medications, submit adverse drug reaction reports and help with drug cost reimbursement. Plans are also under development for fast, wireless distribution of digital patient images.
"The advantage of wireless transmission within our institution is, in our opinion, very obvious," says Kathy Tunstall, director, Picture Archive and Communications System Radiology Information System. "Hardwired transmissions would require either large capital expenditures or productive hours spent traveling to a common transmission point. We intend to remain on the cutting edge of this technological advance."
While improving patient care remains the underlying motivation, the OSU Medical Center has also achieved substantial cost savings from its Cisco Aironet wireless network. Use of in-line power, which eliminates the need for electrical outlets near access points, has reduced the time and cost of installing new access points.
"In-line power has really saved us money," says Telles. "As we upgrade and expand our network, the fact that we don't need electrical outlets near access points makes an enormous difference."
Backward and forward compatibility with various IEEE 802.11x wireless standards and easy management using CiscoWorks Wireless LAN Solution Engine have been key to the facility's success with wireless. In addition, the emphasis on multilayered security helps OSU Medical Center comply with the Health Insurance and Portability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 mandating confidentiality of patient information.
"Using wireless technology is second nature now for our caregivers," says Telles. "During their rounds, you will often see physicians accompanied by residents who are being taught at the point of patient care. This teaching includes listening to physician-patient interchanges followed by instant order entry. This then sparks discussions. The point is, they can see how the wireless system is used, and that's important because it's likely what they will encounter when they are on their own."
Stacy Williams is a freelance journalist located in Dutch John, UT.