Handhelds in healthcare

Patient-centric care has been made more possible thanks to technology such as handheld devices, which allow health workers to access information and communicate with their peers in real time.

Organisations like Zebra Technologies are producing hardware and software solutions specific to the healthcare sector, bringing efficiency to patient management through improved data capture, store and share. This allows healthcare workers to provide exceptional care for their patients, with necessary information at their fingertips, 24/7.

Zebra’s handheld computers have already made an impact on the sector, with systems designed to improve the patient experience by providing essential data to care workers in an instant. Specifically, these devices are having a positive impact in two key areas:

Patient Identity Management

From admitting a new patient, through to their being discharged – and all of the steps in between – providing health workers with access to patient records, medications, or planned procedures, means they can give individuals in their care an efficient, high quality and personal experience.

Collaborative Care

Communication is paramount in the healthcare sector, where providing the correct information to the right team members at speed is critical. By implementing technology which allows workers to connect and communicate with their colleagues, handhelds are ensuring a collaborative approach and an optimum patient experience.

In the first instance, handhelds are used by clinicians and nurses to send and receive texts, create alerts, manage medication, bloods, and access patient’s health records. More advanced models allow for voice calls, Push-to-talk (PTT), but also provide advanced support – tracking prescriptions, medication administration, blood transfusion administration, and breast milk management.

It’s not just the ‘on the ground’ health workers providing direct care to patients who benefit from handheld technology. Hospitals can achieve a true collaborative approach through providing the wider healthcare community with the same technology so everyone stays connected. That’s workers in environmental health, patient transport, food services, facilities management, materials management, engineering, and security.

Active Olive Healthcare carries a range in devices to support your individual facility’s needs.  If you are keen to learn more on how handheld technology can improve your team’s collaboration and the patient experience, arrange a chat with our team today.