Digital Hospital Solution 2.0

Most visits to the Emergency Room result in long waits and frustrated patients. When a patient hits the call button a nurse must make several trips to satisfy the patient. Hospital staff spends most of their time searching for patient equipment including wheelchairs and other medical supplies while they should be treating the incoming patients. Lastly, important lab works are delivered by hospital snail mail, which adds more wait time. All of these examples occur because many hospitals have different information systems that do not coordinate with each other. This article describes the efforts HP is making in the IT field.

With Digital Hospital Solution 2.0, HP will help cut health-care costs and decrease patient wait times in hospitals. This new version will connect pre-existing information systems in hospitals nationwide. Equipment trackers, patient monitoring and security systems are just a few of the applications within this new software. I think that this new innovation is just the beginning of new hospital software. Nurses will no longer have to take time away from their patients to make rounds and complete charts. Senior Director of HP Enterprise Harry Kim claims, “Nurses should be focused on direct patient care, not charting basic health data.” The Digital Hospital Solution 2.0 will allow nurses to communicate to their patients from their phones, wherever they are located. This will allow for more care. I believe that this software will provide a more personal relationship between patients and their nurses and doctors. Doctors will now be able to view patients’ information and lab results through WiFi. In addition to these technology advancements, a robotic vehicle was invented for hospital use. This robot will navigate hospital equipment though hallways to its final destination. HP has created the network that controls the functions of this object. I think that with this new innovation will give the hospital staff more time to focus on their work rather than spending time moving equipment around.

I found it interesting that with this new innovation Digital Hospital Solution 2.0 attracted only six hospitals. The hospital market is extremely hard to make an impact. However, with this technology hospitals will soon realize this software is vital.Technology is extremely important in a hospital setting. Hospitals have no space for error or glitches within its network. The real fact is that lives are on the line once a patient walks through the hospital doors. Hospitals can easily misread information and result in fatal mistakes. Many companies provide false hope to hospitals in new technology software. Yet, HP has an advantage over many companies. Kim says, “There is some peace of mind when our clients realize that we run most of the world’s stock exchanges, manage billions of health-care transactions and power over 80 percent of 911 systems.”

When patients spend less time in the hospital revenue increases. The hospital can see more patients once one is released. It appears logical that every hospital would want this new software. However, new hospitals are skeptical on the software and HP is targeting existing hospitals. They want to see proof from the product. Yet there is significant proof that I read that has made a difference in six hospitals. HP’s software has made a 30 percent increase in hospital’s outpatient capacity and it has decreased patients’ welcome by 20 percent. With this new software fewer mistakes can be made which result in a higher satisfaction. These statistics made me realize how vital it is for hospitals to stay on top of their information systems. The network a hospital uses influences not only the staff but the patients overall health and well being. Although this software is not inexpensive, in the long run a hospital will have more success.

"Digital Hospital - Success Story." Business Technology Solutions from HP. Web. 10 Oct. 2011. .

Kho, Jennifer. "Can HP Cure Outdated Hospital IT? - Forbes." Information for the World's Business Leaders - Forbes.com. 30 Sept. 2011. Web. 10 Oct. 2011. .