OSU Medical Center Improves Care Continuity With Wireless Computing

By Integrated Solutions magazine

Ohio State University Medical Center (OSUMC) is driven by its mission to improve people's lives through innovation. The 1,100-bed facility has used Essentris, a clinical documentation and electronic medical record (EMR) system by CliniComp Intl., for more than a decade to chart care for its critical care, cardiac, and labor and delivery patients.

In 2001, OSUMC transitioned portions of its documentation to an EMR system using wireless broadband technology (Cisco/Aironet 1200 series access points with 802.11 b/g radios) for providing clinicians with an easier and more productive process for documenting at the point of care. Today, 400-plus physicians, nurses, and other practitioners use either COW (computers on wheels) carrying wireless or battery-generated laptops or ‘roving' laptops during rounds. Medical staff wirelessly chart information such as progress notes, medications, lab results, and vital signs at the bedside. With this complete snapshot of a patient's status, caregivers can make more informed clinical decisions.