BERKSHIRE, U.K. — Patientline, developer of integrated entertainment and communications services for patients in hospitals, has added touchscreen capability to its latest systems. Elo TouchSystems' infrared touchscreen technology has been harnessed into the Patientline terminals so that authorized hospital staff can access a wide variety of patient information directly from the bedside.
Patientline was founded in 1994 and pioneered integrated entertainment and communication services to patients in hospitals. The company's bedside terminals are now installed in more than 100 U.K. hospitals. The original bedside units were installed in 1995 and provided basic television, radio and telephone services.
Since then, various research programs and feedback from users of the services have inspired ongoing developments and resulted in the current Patientline unit that provides full PC functionality. Services to patients now include state-of-the-art digital entertainment and Internet and e-mailing facilities.
The latest incarnation of the Patientline bedside unit includes an Elo TouchSystems infrared touchscreen. Helen Crosby, Patientline's chief technical officer, commented, "Patientline was developed with the aim of providing touchscreen access to hospital IT systems and we can now install this facility into hospitals that take our IT access package. This means that authorized hospital staff can access patients' medical records via the bedside unit. Without Patientline, this type of information has to be accessed at the nurses station or some other centralized position, which often makes it difficult to share the information with the patient when desirable to do so."
The permanent availability of the Patientline bedside unit provides authorized staff with point-of-care access to a wide range of information including patient notes, X-rays and other medical images, care pathways, results reporting, order communications, medical libraries, expert support, educational material, hospital intranets, appointment booking and electronic prescribing, among others.
The unit's near 360-degree rotation capability allows the screen to be turned toward clinical staff for privacy or toward patients for sharing information with them.
Helen Crosby concluded, "Elo's touchscreens were selected due to fully sealed infrared technology meeting stringent hospital infection control requirements while the touchscreen's robust construction ensures that the bedside units can survive the wear and tear associated with daily use in a busy hospital environment. Almost as importantly, the Elo TouchSystems IR touchscreens can be used by medical staff wearing gloves when required."
