Wireless improves patient care at Southampton Trust

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Southampton University Hospital Trust (SUHT) is in the process of implementing a new wireless large area network (LAN) and security to increase the efficiency and accuracy of patient record keeping and care.

SUHT, which is a major centre for teaching and research and provides healthcare services in central southern England and the Channel Islands, is deploying its new wireless network in the general and neurology theatres at the Southampton General Hospital, the Princess Anne Hospital and its Medical Health Records Centre, with additional expansion planned for the future.

Ryan Hewitt, Southampton University Hospital Trust senior network and security analyst told IT PRO the organisation is now using the wireless network from vendor Aruba to provide greater support for mobile data applications, including electronic patient records and picture archiving communications systems (PACS).

He said the trust wanted to take advantage of the functional support that wireless communication would enable, allowing increased electronic transfer of patient data including X-ray images and records among mobile PACS devices.

"If we can digitise paper-based information, then the benefits to our clinical staff include faster access to patient records, where paper documents can go missing," he said. "This means the service clinicians provide to the patients, in turn, is better."

Only a few dedicated members of the IT department are responsible for supporting the entire hospital and a centrally-managed network that fits directly into SUHT's existing infrastructure, without requiring upgrades to existing network equipment, was an important objective.

And, since cabled networks can jeopardise the integrity of a sterile environment, robust wireless connectivity was mandatory. So the Aruba Mobile Edge Architecture integrates directly with the trust's existing Cisco network infrastructure and provides connectivity for a number of optional devices.

Having just completed a pilot of Vocera hands-free wireless voice communicators to enable instant communication between hospital staff, which will now be rolled out across the hospitals for the middle of the year, Hewitt added that the Aruba network would facilitate a number of other projects to digitise data and mobilise staff.

"Once the infrastructure and 500 or so access points are fully installed we're looking at dual-mode Wi-Fi/GSM handsets so staff can stay in contact whether they have access to the wireless network or not," he said.

Other projects include real-time location services to track medical equipment and the rollout of an electronic patient records systems and mobile devices for clinicians to access them with.

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