BlackBerry devices speed up paperwork for nurses

A group of nurses have started using BlackBerry products to speed up the way they work.

Medicals Direct has supplied a network of nurses working in the UK with BlackBerry smartphones and Anoto digital pens that digitize the administrative part of their work.

Jonathan Benton, CEO of Medicals Direct, said in a statement: “After looking at various options, such as a tablet PC, we felt that a BlackBerry solution was the best way to meet our requirements for usability and security.

He added, “The process has speeded up by eliminating postal delays and allowed us to reduce the average turnaround by about four days. We’re even known to process some cases from start to finish in under an hour.

When seeing a patient, a nurse can use the Anoto pen to fill out a paper form. The stylus records the information and sends it to the BlackBerry device via Bluetooth. The form details are then encrypted before being sent to the BlackBerry Enterprise Server at Medicals Direct headquarters.

He can check if the form has been filled out correctly and send an email alert to the nurse if it is missing. It’s much better than the historical way of doing things, which was to rely on the post.

In addition to this specific task, possession of the smartphone allows nurses to access the Medicals Direct workload management website so that they can update records or view case information in a secure manner.

Daniel Morrison-Gardiner, senior director of public sector sales at RIM, said IT PRO in an interview: “Nurses need to stay connected to the information they need to provide the right care. Being able to access patient records and route information is really helpful.

He added: “It still looks like a very traditional consultation, with pen and paper, but it speeds up the process.”