Security concerns about multi-user terminals in healthcare need no longer apply

The promise of the digitisation of patient health records and interlinkage of imaging, results and clinical information systems has long been enticing. The reality on the ward though for mobile hospital staff and visiting medical officers on the go has somewhat lagged behind the vision.

Delivering simplicity and security with swipe on access to clinical systems

A direct result of data security and privacy concerns, clinicians often find themselves constantly grappling with different logons to different systems. Moving between wards, hospitals and consulting rooms often multiplies the frustration. Add to that the complexity in different types of terminals, different sign-ons, Medicare, Veterans Affairs, WorkCover, and Visiting Medical Officer’s Practice Management Systems, and the daily frustration becomes obvious. The concept of The Anywhere Clinical Desktop solves this challenge, by enabling a clinician to simply swipe on securely using their hospital ID pass. This single sign-on can then provide instant access to a personalised clinical desktop that follows the clinician anywhere. Single sign-on to this follow-me clinical desktop enables any clinician automatic access to all clinical systems which they are entitled. Swipe off (or time out) and the terminal is secure again and ready for access by the next clinician.

Security concerns about multi-user terminals need no longer apply

With hospitals worldwide moving towards near-paperless environments through the introduction of electronic medical record (EMR) systems, clinicians rely more and more on access to hospital terminals to access patient data. However, this multi-user model has often meant terminal user interfaces attempt to satisfy all types of users and succeed in pleasing no-one. Generic interfaces mean patient data is often hard to find, so are specific applications for different clinicians. Added to this, when shared devices have tended to present security concerns that have slowed adoption of true in-hospital mobility.

For example, sharing a device often results in the use of generic logins to make it faster for teams on the ward to access systems. Convenient yes, but at a huge price in vulnerabilities – compromising patient privacy and patient data accuracy. When clinicians are forced to record patient data into separate clinical systems it also often results in paper records on the run and retrospective data entry. This results in clinicians not having access to patient data at the point of care and double handling of patient data, increasing the risk of data entry error.

Enabling secure mobility with a personalised “Follow-Me” clinical desktop

The concept of a “follow-me” clinical desktop changes all of this by removing the focus on the individual shared devices and instead restoring the focus on the individual clinician. With the swipe of a unique hospital ID card, clinicians can now use any device to access a highly personalised, secure clinical desktop. This makes it rapid and secure to swipe on, access results, dictate notes immediately, swipe off and move on. This provides secure access anywhere to all clinical systems, including medical imaging – which in many hospitals has traditionally only been accessible from specific terminals. With a digital clinical desktop model the focus shifts from technology infrastructure to clinician need; providing instant access when and where the clinician needs it to provide quality patient care.

Extending mobility beyond the hospital

When implemented, the concept of The Anywhere Clinical Desktop has been shown to save each clinician up to 40 minutes per day in hospital. The benefits of that secure mobility though extends far beyond the hospital walls. Visiting medical officers moving between wards, hospitals and consulting rooms can use this same approach to access their clinical desktop securely, anywhere. That means collaboration with multidisciplinary care teams can continue back at the clinician’s consulting rooms. It means imaging and results can be accessed securely from home or another hospital if the clinician needs after-hours access. It also means clinicians can choose where they perform administrative tasks without being forced to remain on site.

Clinicians can now access their follow-me clinical desktop, anywhere, on any device with single sign-on security and robust data creation and access audit trails to satisfy legislative requirements.

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