A hospital of the future has been unveiled in Melbourne as the often talked-about dream of wireless and paperless tracking of medical records and patient management becomes a reality.
Epworth Eastern, a recently opened purpose-built $85 million private hospital based in Box Hill, has launched a new information and communications technology system in a ceremony attended by federal Health Minister Tony Abbott.
Hospitals nationwide are closely watching the new ICT system, which aims to revolutionise every aspect of day-to-day hospital management.
The technology, created by NEC Business Solutions, allows doctors and nurses to review patient information using a hand-held PC. Before patients arrive at the hospital, their details are scanned into the hospital's database so that time isn't wasted filling out paperwork before admission.
Epworth Eastern's executive director, Peter Hughes, said the new system would save a lot of administration time, allowing doctors and nurses to concentrate on clinical activity and patient outcomes. He also said the time saved would mean the hospital would become more efficient in processing patients.
Dr Hughes said application of the new technology in the public sector could help reduce hospital waiting lists.
The new system also allows mobile computing and telephony for the whole workforce. That allows surgeons arriving at the hospital to open up their personal PC in the car park and check their operating schedule and patients to have things ready for them even before they have entered the building.
NEC Business Solutions and Epworth Hospital jointly created and implemented the program over 10 months. The next stage is to implement the system in Epworth's Richmond hospital.