The UCLA Medical Centre Demonstrates GCQ

[Darius Wey]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.gcqhealth.com/' target='_blank'>http://www.gcqhealth.com/</a><br /><br /></div><i>"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)."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/wey-20051023-UCLA.jpg" /><br /><br />I've always supported the use of mobile devices in medicine. They are invaluable tools for accessing updated medical information whenever and wherever, and UCLA has gone one step further by showing the world just how capable their recent installation of the Global Care Quest (GCQ) system is. GCQ is designed to integrate with patient data and help deliver real-time records to wireless-enabled mobile devices. If you want a better idea of how it all works, then <a href="http://sinapse.arc2.ucla.edu/streaming/healthcare/gcq-rm9-300k.ram">this video (RealMedia)</a> is worth a watch (be on the lookout for the i-mate PDA2K, i-mate JAM, Samsung i730, and HP iPAQ hx4700). You'll come to appreciate just how useful Pocket PCs have become. :)<br /><br />On a side note, there are other major hospitals in the United States and Australia that are currently considering GCQ installations.

[euphoria]

Well, as a physician, I think this is every rounding physician's dream! Paper elimination, no need to hunt results, realtime information, more time to spend on the patient. The implementation of this system will prove to be highly beneficial.

[choyboy]

Darius,

Do you have any info on which hospitals in Australia are considering GCQ? I haven't heard any word about that over here.

In WA(as I think you're aware) we're considering ourselves lucky we're getting e-ordering of tests via pc. Their last "revolutionary" step was to link to all results within the different public hospitals. Doctors still are essentially unsupported in terms of PDA support and self-funding for essential apps such as MIMs.

I think I'll be an old man before we see something of this magnitude this side of Australia. :cry:

choyboy

[Darius Wey]

Do you have any info on which hospitals in Australia are considering GCQ? I haven't heard any word about that over here.

Just responded to your PM. :)

[mhynek]

I wish I could convey some sort of optimism for this type of technology. However, hospitals and their purchasing partners as well as new product committees, will make it very hard for this company to really fly. For instance, hospitals are very insistent when it comes to customer support. If a company cannot provide 24/7/365 "on site" support, forget about even getting a foot in the door. Also, there are still a number of tech. resistant physicians in almost every medical group in almost every hospital that will reject the idea without even seeing it in action. They will say something to the effect of "sounds nice, but I can barely read the charts much less a tiny little screen." Then there's always the question of who's going to charge the devices (batteries) for these guys? Do the devices stay on the nursing units? or do the Docs have to carry them around with them? because I can tell you that if left up to them? You will have a lot of disgruntled 50 something year olds with dead batteries. I've been doing invasive vascular work for the past 12 years and can tell you that although I wish the company well, the prognosis does not look good.

[Phoenix]

It's like any other adoption of technology process - it may take awhile for the medical industry to do so, but they will eventually. Everything in life is headed this direction anyway. Besides, older techno-illiterate generations will eventually be phased out of the work industry to leave only those generations who use technology in their everyday lives, are literate with it, and desire it in the work place.

Not cold, just the truth. Maybe some of this technology is just a bit premature yet. Maybe there are still too many of those who prefer paper over bits and bytes who would boycott the technology and keep it out of the hospitals. Or maybe the technology is going to make its appearance (at least in small part, initially) whether the older gens prefer it or not. Maybe the company developing the technology needs to increase its support.

Regardless, its like anything else technological: It's coming, like it or not.