Motion Computing announces Mobile Clinical Assistant plans

Motion Computing and Intel just announced at IDF plans to develop a product on Intel’s mobile clinical assistant reference design. Unfortunately, there are no other details other than this press release that was sent to me. All specs, configurations, and pricing will be announced Q1 2007.

From Intel’s press release, they indciate that the Mobile Clinical Assistant Plaform is:

the outcome of hospital workflow studies, nurse and physician interviews, and ethnographic research among nurses at El Camino Hospital in Mountain View, Calif. It focuses on the healthcare community’s needs to enhance patient safety, reduce medication-dispensing errors and ease staff workloads.

Products based on the mobile clinical assistant platform could offer a variety of features and technologies including: an exterior casing that can be wiped clean with disinfectant; radio frequency identification (RFID) technology for rapid user and patient identification; and barcode scanning to help reduce medication-dispensing errors. The platform could also include a digital camera to enhance patient charting and progress notes; Bluetooth technology to record patient vital signs; wireless connectivity to access electronic medical records systems. In addition to having a lightweight design, ergonomic features such as an integrated handle, and a spill- and drop-tolerant enclosure, the mobile platform could provide shift-long use made possible by to swapping batteries while in a docking station.

Here is the press release on Motion Computing’s site and also Intel’s own press release.

Motion Computing®, a leader in ultra-mobile computing and wireless communications, today disclosed plans at the Intel Developer Forum (IDF) to extend its family of award-winning tablet PC products with a mobile clinical assistant, a new computing category created to advance the effectiveness of nurses, physicians and other clinicians.  Motion’s product will be based on Intel Corporation’s mobile clinical assistant platform design. 

“Motion is the first company to collaborate with Intel on the new mobile clinical assistant category,” said Motion CEO Scott Eckert.  “We chose to innovate in this category because it closely aligns with our tablet PC and healthcare industry expertise.  It is all about technology integration and ease of use, with relevant and innovative features, software and design elements chosen to help nurses and clinicians deliver patient care more safely and efficiently.”

Eckert today joined Louis Burns, vice president and general manager of Intel’s Digital Health Group, in an IDF keynote to discuss Motion’s commitment to work with Intel in the creation of this new category of mobile computing for use in clinical settings.   

“Intel is excited to be working with Motion to bring the mobile clinical assistant to the healthcare market segment and to address the unmet needs of nurses and physicians,” said Burns. “We share a common vision for innovative, ground-breaking platforms and how technology can transform healthcare.”

Motion will launch and ship its first mobile clinical assistant product in the first half of 2007.  Product specifications will be available at that time.