Motion Computing, Intel Pilot Mobile Clinical Assistant

Designed specifically for clinicians at the frontlines of patient care, an exciting mobile point-of-care platform called the mobile clinical assistant (MCA) helps busy medical staff in performing a vast array of important tasks. The MCA can help reduce medication dispensing errors and ease staff workloads so that clinicians can spend more time taking care of the patient.

Prior to working on the MCA, Intel researchers observed how clinical professionals interacted with each other, with patients, and with clinical information in order to determine what was lacking in current information systems and tools. These ethnographic studies were conducted worldwide and served to underscore the unmet needs of clinicians regardless of geographic location. These extensive studies revealed that clinicians needed an entirely new type of product designed specifically for them. Intel addressed that need and created the MCA platform.

Intel collaborated with Motion Computing -- a long-time provider of mobility products in healthcare-to develop the first generation MCA product. Healthcare professionals now have access to a portable system that can record, retrieve, identify, verify, and document -- all at the point of care.

To help the market get prepared for products based on the MCA platform, Intel also worked with leading industry suppliers, such as electronic medical records software vendors, to optimize their software to run on the MCA platform.

The unique ergonomic design of the MCA features an integrated handle and a spill- and drop-tolerant enclosure that can be easily cleaned with disinfectants. The ability to sanitize the casing may reduce the risk of contamination and limit the spread of infections as healthcare professionals move from patient to patient. A bar code scanning feature enables accurate patient identification, immediately matching the patient to treatment plans and records, and is intended to reduce medication dispensing errors. This advanced system has many integrated features that connect healthcare professionals with the information they need to enhance patient care.

Source: Intel