Health Visitors Use Toughbooks To Access Vital Information Whilst In The Community
UK. 24 DECEMBER 2010: Health workers in NHS Yorkshire and the Humber region were able to keep crucial NHS community services running in the latest arctic weather using their Panasonic Toughbook mobile devices.
The rugged Toughbooks ensured services such as community visits and one-to-one consultations could take place despite the weather. Staff were able to access vital information stored on clinical systems and keep appointments with their patients.
Adele Corkery, health visitor from NHS Doncaster, explained: “I spent time contacting families by telephone during the bad weather. Patients had expected we would be unable to visit them in such extreme conditions but were grateful for the advice and support I could give them. Using innovative technology such as the Panasonic Toughbook meant I could access patient records and give them the advice they needed.”
There are currently 2,500 Toughbooks being used by healthcare workers across the NHS Yorkshire and the Humber region. Staff generally use them to help spend more time with patients and less time in the office – making an additional one or two patient visits a day. As a result, travel costs have been cut and the quality of information recorded in patient records has also improved because the healthcare worker can input information alongside the patient.
Chris Wood, Healthcare Business Manager, at Panasonic Computer Products Europe, added: “Toughbooks are the best designed and most rugged devices on the market and it is great to hear that they were more than a match for even the latest extreme weather conditions experienced by NHS Yorkshire and the Humber region.”
