Mobile Durability in the Healthcare Environment

In the healthcare industry durability is as essential as mobility. The customers of Panasonic Toughbook computers at various hospitals and hospices can speak to the significance of implementing a mobile technology solution that is innately sturdy and robust. Shock mounted hard drives, magnesium cases, and spill resistant keyboards are essential to any mobile technology solution being deployed in the healthcare industry.

Before implementing its mobile technology solution, Slidell Memorial Hospital tested a variety of units, including the Panasonic Toughbook T8. In the end, Slidell Memorial Hospital chose the Panasonic Toughbook T8 based on its screen, light weight, and of course, its ruggedness. In a rapidly-moving hospital climate, technology devices must survive unexpected spills, bumps, and drops on a regular basis.

“I didn’t understand how durable Toughbook computers were until I dropped one of our T8s about 20 feet,” said Mike Mickey, IT director for Slidell Memorial Hospital. “Much to my amazement, it booted right up.  It was unbelievable. We deployed the device and it works fine.”

Ultimately this returns to the argument of TCO vs. ROI. By implementing a truly durable solution, hospitals relieve themselves of the costs associated with computer failures. Take Sussex County Medical Associates, they deployed the Toughbook T-series notebooks in 2004. Six years later they are still using most of the notebooks originally employed.

“Our clinicians work in a highly mobile environment that is demanding for even a ruggedized computer.  That fact that we deployed our first Toughbook T series laptops in 2004 and still have most in service six years later means that Sussex County Medical Associates has received an exceptional return on its mobile technology investment,” said Jacque Konzelman, Practice Manager for Sussex County Medical Center.

The cost of computer failures isn’t just monetary; its time consuming to use unreliable technology. Exempla Healthcare, which manages doctors in a network of Colorado-based hospitals, has used a variety of Panasonic Toughbook devices, including the T7, T8, and the 52.

“Panasonic Toughbook computers can keep up with the high demands of our nurses,” said Jim Millard, IT director for Exempla Healthcare. “When something is spilled on it, it can be wiped off easily, or if it falls, it will start up again, keeping downtime low.”

The Electronic Medical Record market is expected to reach $2.6 billion in 2012, a 100 percent increase in only 4 years. As the use of EHRs swells, mobile computing solutions should rise to the occasion of reliability to survive in the demanding healthcare environment.