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WirelessDevNet.com Press Release
UCLA Medical Center Shreds Hospital Paper Chase With Mobile, Wireless Access to Patient Data
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 25 -- UCLA Medical Center is piloting a
mobile, wireless patient information retrieval system that gives physicians
instant access from throughout the hospital and around the world to real-time
patient data via wireless Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and cellular
smart phones. The Global Care Quest system, or GCQ, is intended to improve
access to patient data, save health care workers time, trim the cost of care
and tighten patient safety standards.
At UCLA, GCQ integrates with digital medical records, bedside charting and
laboratory results, to create the most comprehensive digital medical data
storage and retrieval system of its kind. This state-of-the-art software
solution advances existing technology by offering -- for the first time -- PDA
and cellular smart phone access to real-time data from bedside ICU monitors,
as well as X-ray and CT/MRI scan imaging studies. Physicians can access
medical data throughout the medical center via the hospital's wireless network
(Wi-Fi or 802.11b), and remotely, outside the hospital, through high-speed
cellular network connections (1xRTT, EV-DO, EDGE).
"With functions far beyond pagers and voice-only cell phones, this
represents the next generation of wireless medical communication. In the
future, we see every physician carrying a personal wireless information device
that provides real-time access to complete patient data. These tools hold the
promise to improve the quality and safety of patient care, avoid medical
errors, and enhance cost-effectiveness. By using GCQ to automate routine and
cumbersome paperwork, physicians and other healthcare workers will save time
so that they can concentrate on taking care of patients," said Dr. Neil
Martin, professor and chief of neurosurgery at the David Geffen School of
Medicine at UCLA and co-developer of the GCQ system.
"I see this technology as evolving into a seamless integration of
information technology and increasing volumes of patient data. Some day
patients themselves will be able to access their own records and share them
with their different healthcare providers," said Dr. Albin Gritsch, associate
professor of urology and surgical director of the kidney transplant program at
UCLA.
"As intensivists, we need to deliver right care, right away," said Dr.
Paul Vespa, associate clinical professor and director of neurocritical care at
UCLA. "Given the shortage of intensivists, technologies such as GCQ are
invaluable in extending the reach of our care by allowing us to respond
instantly to emergencies from any location 24 hours a day, seven days a week."
The GCQ system integrates with hospital and clinical information systems
through wireless networks accessible on both Palm OS and Pocket PC (Windows
Mobile) devices, as well as standard MS Windows-based desktop and Tablet
computers. Patient privacy is protected through use of authentication codes
and data encryption that meets standards set by the Health Insurance
Portability and Accountability Act.
Researchers in the UCLA Division of Neurosurgery's Brain Monitoring and
Modeling Lab developed the GCQ system under the direction of Valeriy Nenov,
professor of neurosurgery, and Farzad Buxey, senior software developer.
Global Care Quest Inc. is a privately held medical software company based
in Los Angeles that has recently been funded by Lexington Ventures. As
inventors and developers of this technology, Martin, Nenov and Buxey are
founders and equity holders in the firm. The company has plans to
commercialize the technology through a license agreement with UCLA. More
information is available online at http://www.globalcarequest.com/.
UCLA Medical Center Computing Services and Health Information Technology
Services developed the digital medical record storage system. CliniComp
International's bedside charting system and the GE Medical Systems PACS
picture archiving system help complete the data package. An order entry
system developed at UCLA is expected to be operational later this year.
Physicians in the UCLA Departments of Anesthesiology, Medicine,
Pediatrics, Surgery and Urology at the David Geffen School of Medicine are
currently using Global Care Quest. In addition, several major hospitals in
the United States and Australia are considering GCQ installations.
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