A few years ago, that question might have sparked a discussion around the efficacy of pharmaceutical drugs. Today however, references to tablets have fostered a whole new context especially in regards to healthcare. Mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones are indeed transforming healthcare as we know it and in a manner of speaking, they do have the means to impact health and wellness. How you may ask? Think about the latest statistics around the explosive adoption of mobile devices in healthcare. A recent study conducted by Manhattan Research estimated that the use of tablet devices by U.S physicians have nearly doubled in the past year alone and are expected to continue to rise at a meteoric pace. These devices are being used in both the personal and professional lives of healthcare providers for everything from accessing emails to electronic medical records, clinical research and collaboration with peers and industry experts. Tablets have become the new well of information – the new virtual water cooler if you will.
At Cisco we recognize that technology is enabling critical innovations in healthcare and with the convenience and flexibility of all the mobile devices at our finger tips – what better way to keep abreast of what’s new and next in healthcare than from your own tablet or smartphone device?
With that in mind, Cisco is excited to introduce a brand new digital magazine for the healthcare community, entitled “Well”. Well is an interactive publication that will offer in-depth coverage of technological improvements and industry breakthroughs that truly impact the delivery of healthcare.
At Cisco, we believe telemedicine can improve the quality of healthcare. To demonstrate some of the possibilities of telehealth, Senior Product Manager for Healthcare TelePresence Luke Leininger highlighted at InfoComm our next generation mobile telemedicine cart. The new device delivers high definition video technologies in a portable, user-friendly package.
Watch the video below to learn more about the cart’s simple user interface, which makes for easy connections between patients and their otherwise inaccessible healthcare providers. Read More »
99% of patients said they would use telehealth services again. You can’t get much better than that. St. Joseph Health System successfully launched a telehealth pilot earlier this year using CiscoHealthPresence™ that allows patients, physicians and other health and wellness specialists in disparate locations to meet and consult virtually via immersive video and audio technologies. The telehealth pilot is part of St. Joseph Health’s Healthiest Communities initiative, which focuses on improving access to health care services and quality of care to the communities it serves. The results are impressive.
The pilot has now been live for four months supporting Urgent Care, Specialty Care, Chronic Disease Management, and Wellness and Health Improvement. Care has been provided to about 250 patients. In addition 99% of patients said they would use telehealth services again. 95% of patients seen were “completely satisfied” with their telehealth experience. The telehealth program is providing access to healthcare in areas where it previously was not accessible.
Galloping technological change, encouraging economics, new partnerships, and rising consumer acceptance together poise telemedicine for widespread global adoption, according to Cisco and other experts at the 17th American Telemedicine Association meeting this week in San Jose.
“These next couple of years, I think, are critical,” said Dr. Danny Sands, Cisco Director of Medical Informatics. “I think this is the time. This is our time.” Read More »
“What I often feel today is, nurses nurse technology rather than nurse their patients.”
So says Cisco Chief Nursing Officer Curtis Dikes, a registered nurse in his own right, whose job at Cisco is to change that.
At the American Telemedicine Association’s 2012 meeting in San Jose, Dikes was kept fully engaged by attendees newly curious about Cisco technology and the customer-oriented thinking behind it.
“It’s not about the technology,” said Dikes during a break. “Technology is a conduit – part of the equation that enables a better care process.”
Do nurses have unique workflow requirements that warrant special attention? Yes, said Dikes, past president of the American Nursing Informatics Association. “Nursing has its specifics just like medicine.”
