Mobile Clinical Assistant
The mobile clinical assistant (MCA) is a category of mobile computing platform developed by Intel to be a new usage model that is customized for healthcare-specific use at the point of care, supporting the workflow of nurses and clinicians.
MCA overall benefits:
Designed to
- ease nurse and physician daily workloads.
- help improve quality of care by allowing nurses and physicians to access up-to-the-minute patient records and document a patient’s condition instantly.
- reduce the medical staff’s administrative workload and help reduce medication administration errors.
Enables
- more informed and immediate decisions at the point of care, helping to reduce medication dispensing errors and ease clinical work loads.
- nurses and doctors to chart and check information at the bedside, allowing them to spend more time with patients, deepening observations and empathy.
MCA Features and Benefits for Clinicians in Hospital Settings:
Designed for the clinical environment
The mobile clinical assistant is built for the rigors of the clinical environment, whether that is a ward, clinic or emergency room. Adaptations for the clinical environment include:
- A lightweight, clipboard-like mobile PC with an ergonomic handle is easy for clinicians to carry and use throughout their shift
- Sealed and rugged exterior case is drop-resistant and spill-proof, enabling the MCA to be easily wiped clean with disinfectant to reduce the spread of germs as nurses and physicians move among patients
- The ability to switch to a new battery pack without shutting the unit down supports shift-long use
- A generous screen display minimizes scrolling and eye strain
Built to optimize workflow
To streamline medication administration and charting, the MCA reference design integrates technologies that support "five rights" of medication administration and can provide for more streamlined and efficient workflows.
- With a built-in bar-code scanner, the MCA becomes a practical tool for matching each patient with the treatment being delivered, helping reduce medication-dispensing errors.
- Using a radio frequency identification (RFID) or Smart Card scanner in the MCA reference design, nurses can identify patients and verify themselves as authorized caregivers.
- Integrated digital camera to enhance patient charting and progress notes, and to document wounds and injuries
- Wireless connectivity to access up-to-date secure patient information and physician’s orders at the bedside or point of care
- Bluetooth technology to help capture patient vital signs directly into their EMR
MCA Benefits for Visiting/Community Care Nurses:
The MCA allows home healthcare professionals to ease their administrative workloads and optimize their workflow by:
- having instant access to their daily appointments and schedule
- having real-time visibility and access to their patient’s electronic record, from their home office or from their patient’s home
- having richer and more efficient documentation capability for wound care
- reduced opportunity for errors by documentation at the point of care
