Mobile Solutions Make the RoundsHow mobile technology can help improve patient care, communication, and security

2

MOBILE SOLUTIONS MAKE THE ROUNDS MOBILE SOLUTIONS MAKE THE ROUNDS

1

2

Table of contents

INTRODUCTION

3 CHALLENGES AND SPECIFIC NEEDS IN HEALTHCARE

7 MOBILE TECHNOLOGY USE CASES

11 MOBILE SOLUTIONS FROM SAMSUNG

13 EXCEED EXPECTATIONS WITH MOBILE TECHNOLOGY

IntroductionMobile technology has rapidly become a trusted

ally for many medical professionals – making it

easier to care for and communicate with patients,

improving care, streamlining the workday, and

helping improve regulatory compliance. In fact, a

recent study found nearly 90% of respondents are

using mobile devices within their organizations to

engage patients in their healthcare.1

If you’re an IT professional in a busy healthcare

environment, the challenge now isn’t necessarily

getting staff to adopt new technologies, but finding

the combination of solutions and products that

are the right fit, with the specific apps, embedded

features, and security protections that can help

caregivers truly engage and involve patients in their

own health and wellness. This eBook takes you

on the rounds to examine a few use cases where

mobile solutions are just what the doctor ordered.

“Healthcare providers continue to make incredible progress toward more effective, informed and personalized care, and the IT organization has been integral to these successes.”

Healthcare IT News 2

4

MOBILE SOLUTIONS MAKE THE ROUNDS MOBILE SOLUTIONS MAKE THE ROUNDS

3

Patient careThe first and highest calling for any medical

professional is to offer excellent care to patients

and their families. This includes not only diagnosis

and treatment, but strong communication and

close attention to records and data. In a hospital,

this means staff must be able to function both in

high-traffic hallways and crowded patient rooms,

and be able to easily enter admissions data or

access test results to discuss with patients.

Healthcare workers conducting home visits or

working in facilities like nursing homes need to

be able to coordinate care on the go and consult

with physicians and other caregivers in real time

in order to effectively manage treatment plans.

Challenges and Specific Needs in Healthcare

CHAPTER 1

Collaboration and communicationMedical professionals are also trying to streamline

workflows and manage communications within

the workplace itself. A single hospital can offer

a range of diverse specialties, house a whole

community of employees, and treat hundreds of

thousands of patients over the course of a year.

In this fast-paced, complex environment, printed

or handwritten materials – even critical ones like

doctors’ notes – can quickly become outdated

or drop by the wayside.

Yet it’s critical for medical teams to be able to easily

share patient information and transfer it seamlessly

between facilities. And healthcare staff needs to stay

current on a whole separate range of information,

from hospital policies and events to continuing

education and training.

6

MOBILE SOLUTIONS MAKE THE ROUNDS MOBILE SOLUTIONS MAKE THE ROUNDS

5

CostsProviding state-of-the-art medical care and facilities

also means incurring expenses, and healthcare

professionals are tightly focused on keeping these

operational costs down. For administrators, the

task involves reducing fees, lab and diagnostic

costs, and the costs associated with treating

and managing chronic disease. IT departments

need effective ways to reduce everything from IT

management and support needs to equipment

purchases and maintenance, power consumption,

and printing expenses.

Security and regulatory complianceIn 2014, 42% of all serious data breaches happened

in healthcare – and the FBI forecasts that half of all

healthcare organizations will experience at least one

cyber attack in 2015.2

Physicians, administrators and staff must also

comply with the requirements of the Affordable Care

Act (ACA), including the need to adopt and maintain

Electronic Health Records (EHR) – as well as any

number of other state and federal regulations.

These two factors create intense pressure to keep

patient data up-to-date, accessible and secure –

a need that’s complicated by the way staff moves

from patient to patient and sometimes between

facilities throughout the day. It also means that

any device that goes along on those rounds must

be kept tightly locked down – while still being

easy to carry and use.

Given these overlapping and sometimes conflicting demands, it might be easy to wonder if introducing new technology into such a complex environment would only complicate it further. However, the right mix of mobile devices, virtualization, and networking can combine and simplify many of the tasks healthcare workers tackle daily. Here are a few examples in which mobile technology is the right prescription.

Mobile Devices Virtualization

Networking

Serious Data Breaches in 20142

Healthcare 42% All data breaches

0 50 100

8

MOBILE SOLUTIONS MAKE THE ROUNDS MOBILE SOLUTIONS MAKE THE ROUNDS

7

Supporting skilled caregiving (tablets)

In large senior living facilities, care providers visiting

residents need fast, efficient ways to collect health

data and update patient records in real time, right

at the point of care. A small mobile device such as

a smartphone or tablet preloaded with healthcare

apps and sensors makes it possible to perform

these tasks with ease from any location. Caregivers

can monitor and record vital signs – either by hand,

using an embedded USB sensor in the tablet, or

from the patient’s wearable device – and record

them in the moment rather than at the end of shifts,

ensuring that records are accurate and complete.

An additional benefit of this approach is such

devices can be secured and controlled remotely,

further protecting sensitive patient data and

increasing compliance.

Mobile Technology Use Cases

CHAPTER 2

“Imagine a world where these types of amazing remote patient examination tools, sensors, and apps are available to everyone, everywhere—to patients and parents, the young and the old, at home and on-the-go.”

Ron Gutman, founder and CEO of HealthTap 3

10

MOBILE SOLUTIONS MAKE THE ROUNDS MOBILE SOLUTIONS MAKE THE ROUNDS

9

Simplifying dictation (virtualization and zero-clients)

Another healthcare challenge is the need to adopt

EHR requirements in a way that keeps data safe

and doctors on schedule. Using technology seems

like an obvious solution here, but there are still a few

issues to consider. Traditional computer-on-wheels

setups (COWs) and even laptops have proved bulky

and difficult to use in high-traffic patient rooms.

Mobile devices are far more portable, but physicians

have found it difficult to fully integrate dictation

software on some mobile devices, and often return

in frustration to manually entering handwritten notes

at the end of their rounds.

A better solution is running critical applications in

the cloud and securely accessing them through

zero-client displays installed in patient rooms and

at hallway stations. Physicians can log in anywhere,

anytime to give dictation on a consistent interface.

They also minimize the risk of leaving confidential

information behind on the device, because all data

is securely stored in the data center.

This is no small concern, given that a recent

report shows three cases where hospitals were

breached through medical devices, including a

communications system used to share diagnostic

imaging records with patients.4 Zero-client displays

have no installed software or operating system,

which means they can’t be hacked, they consume

less power, and they require far less support from IT.

Virtualization can also be used for bedside

computer access to verify that patients are taking

the right medications at the right dosages. It

becomes increasingly powerful when zero clients

are linked through the cloud to digital diagnostic

imaging devices and can quickly download tests,

scans, and other lab results right to the patient’s

room – or smartphone.

Creating better signage (digital displays)

What about a hospital that’s still relying on

traditional printed signs and bulletin boards to

communicate with thousands of patients and

employees? Information is likely to become

outdated fast, and hallways and rooms can seem

cluttered and uninviting. But if hospitals replace

these outdated materials with integrated LED

displays, they could offer personalized information

and engaging content in patient rooms, provide

wayfinding stations near elevators, install digital

bulletin boards in staff lounges, and even offer

daily menus in cafeterias. In the process, they

create a modern, friendly atmosphere, with content

that engages patients and their families. On the

administrative side, it’s easy to centrally update,

manage, and coordinate information across the

entire facility – freeing up busy staff, saving energy,

and lowering printing costs.

Navigating conferences (tablet apps)

Consider the challenge of hosting a huge annual

medical symposium. Participants must be able to

find their way around and select the most useful

presentations, but lugging around the conference

catalog and other materials can become an

endurance event. If they’re on tablets, however,

each participant can preload them with all the

information, links, and apps they need to create

schedules, connect with colleagues, receive CE

credits for sessions, and even view live streams

and ask questions in real time. This solution could

also enable the conference to go paperless and

lower printing costs.

DOCTOR’S OFFICEPATIENT’S BEDSIDE

12

MOBILE SOLUTIONS MAKE THE ROUNDS MOBILE SOLUTIONS MAKE THE ROUNDS

11

Mobile Solutions from Samsung

CHAPTER 3

When you’re ready to select mobile technology to fit your unique healthcare environment,

Samsung offers a wide range of integrated mobile solutions to help care for patients,

streamline workflows, lower costs, and increase security and compliance.

Samsung Galaxy Tablets and Smartphones

Lightweight, compact, and powerful mobile devices that provide

easy, secure access to patient data and integrated medical

applications, sensors, and scanners

Zero-Client Technology

Displays and tablets that offer secure access to patient records and

a consistent software experience, with no attack surface and little or

no need for IT support

Digital Signage Solutions

Ultra-thin cloud displays and video walls to show and manage

customized content across multiple locations, with an embedded open

player side platform that eliminates the need for external media players

Samsung KNOX™ technology

A defense-grade mobile security platform built into Galaxy devices that

provides security at the hardware, OS, and application levels

Diagnostic Imaging

Ultrasound machines, portable CT and SPECT scanners, and

patient-friendly X-ray systems that offer real-time, portable

accuracy and security

14

MOBILE SOLUTIONS MAKE THE ROUNDS MOBILE SOLUTIONS MAKE THE ROUNDS

13

As IT professionals supporting healthcare

environments know, it’s hard to imagine anyone

who spends more time on their feet than healthcare

professionals – and today they face more demands

from more directions than ever. Patients expect and

deserve excellent care, fast results, and thoughtful

collaboration from their caregivers. Regulators

want to make sure confidential patient records are

accessible, well maintained, and safely secured

from prying eyes. And administrators need to run a

successful and profitable business that can endure

well into the future.

IT professionals can help caregivers meet and

exceed these expectations by embarking on a

thoughtful technology makeover that puts mobile

devices and apps right in the hands of the people

who need them – helping them to improve care,

connect with patients and colleagues, and make the

day-to-day practice of medicine easier and smarter.

LEARN MORE

About Samsung BusinessAs a global leader in enterprise mobility and information technology, Samsung Business

provides a diverse portfolio of enterprise technologies including smartphones, wearables,

tablets, digital displays, hospitality TVs, zero clients, printers and medical diagnostic equipment.

We are committed to putting the business customer at the core of everything we do by

delivering comprehensive products, solutions and services across diverse industries including

retail, healthcare, hospitality, education and government. For more information, please visit

samsung.com/business or follow Samsung Business via Twitter @SamsungBizUSA.

Sources1 “Mobile Technology Upgrades Continue to Impact Healthcare Engagement,” HIMSS, April 2015. http://www.himss.org/News/

NewsDetail.aspx?ItemNumber=415202 “Top 5 health IT trends for 2015: What’s top of mind?” Healthcare IT News, January 2015. http://www.healthcareitnews.com/

blog/top-5-health-it-trends-2015-whats-top-mind3 “10 Ways Mobile Is Transforming Health Care,” The Guardian, June 2014. http://www.businessinsider.com/10-ways-mobile-is-

transforming-health-care-2014-64 “How mobile tech can transform health care,” Fortune, September 2013. http://fortune.com/2013/09/25/how-mobile-tech-

can-transform-health-care/5 “Hospital Medical Devices Used As Weapons In Cyberattacks,” Dark Reading, June 2015. http://www.darkreading.com/

vulnerabilities---threats/hospital-medical-devices-used-as-weapons-in-cyberattacks/d/d-id/1320751

Exceed expectations with mobile technology

Twitter: @SamsungBizUSA

Blog: insights.samsung.com