Design, deployment and evaluation of a clinical information system which uses mobile computers and workstations

Abstract

Modern computer technologies, such as telemedicine, have been successfully introduced in medical practice. However, whereas in an office-like environment, an integration of computers is uncomplicated, it is quite difficult to accommodate computers in an environment, where medical staff working at the point of care needs to be highly mobile. In this environment, computers need to be highly mobile, too, and have to operate in many different situation. In this paper we study a prototype of a clinical information system (CIS). We focus on the support of mobility in a CIS in order to bolster cooperation and communication between medical personnel. We examine possible mobile computer technologies for a CIS and we develop a taxonomy of graphical elements for input of medical data (we use these elements in the prototype CIS). The use of this prototype was carried out under the conditions of a field study on a real hospital ward. The results of the field study and the evaluation are presented.