Improving Operational Efficiency and Patient Safety with POC Solution

Interview with Jerome Marron, Key Account and Export Manager of Mdose

Digital transformation and advancements in medical technologies are revolutionizing healthcare by improving operational efficiency, enhancing patient safety, and reducing the cost of care. As such, hospitals are experiencing increasing demand for operating rooms (ORs) equipped with advanced medical devices that can be installed in confined spaces, including anesthesia machines, endoscopes, imaging systems, patient monitors, and OR integration systems.

POC terminal for diverse healthcare applications

Jerome Marron, Key Account and Export Manager of Mdose, highlighted the distinctive features of medical spaces such as ORs and ICUs compared to regular office environments. In these spaces, strict hygiene and infection control protocols are essential, and there is often no dedicated workspace such as a desk available. Therefore, an all-in-one computing terminal that offers mobility and versatility is crucial. Additionally, both health practitioners and electronic equipment face constant exposure to fluids and pollutants such as blood and chemicals. For these reasons, an all-inone medical computing solution that enables gloved operation and guarantees high performance, reliability, and durability is the optimal choice for healthcare IT applications. 

Mdose, a French company specializing in healthcare IT solutions, has combined its ergonomic and practical mounting solutions with Advantech’s POC-6 series of medical-grade point-of-care (POC) terminals to create a universal and flexible workstation that is well-suited to various medical spaces and healthcare applications.

Advantech’s POC-6 series terminals are environmentally sealed in a speciallydesigned plastic enclosure that enables regular sanitization with a variety of disinfectants and agents. Compliant with IEC 60601-1 medical safety standards for electrical devices, POC-6 terminals are built for reliable operation in a wide range of healthcare environments. Equipped with an 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i5/i7- 8665UE processor and NVME SSD, the POC-6 series deliver high-performance computing to maximize operational efficiency in busy and stressful OR environments. 

Due to the nature of ORs, they have more stringent hygiene requirements than other medical spaces and are of ten cramped wi th many medical devices. Thus, the fanless design of the POC-6 terminals is highly effective in preventing dust and bacteria circulation. The inclusion of isolated COM and LAN (1.5 kV) ports also protects against electromagnetic interference or leakage, ensuring safe integration with existing infrastructure and equipment.

By connecting POC-6 terminals with vital sign monitors and digital syringe pumps, Mdose has helped many hospital ORs fulfill their anesthesia IT requirements. By partnering with an anesthesia software provider, the anesthetic monitoring solution allows anesthesiologists to observe the vital signs of patients such as cardiac activity, blood pressure, respiration, oxygen saturation, and temperature. It also helps in administering anesthetic medication—all from the touch screen of the POC terminal.

Another critical aspect of patient care is intraoperative record-keeping, and POC-6 terminals offer nurses a powerful tool to manage this task more efficiently. These records contain vital information about a patient's response to anesthesia, intraoperative events, and medications. This is crucial because any errors or inadequacies can have severe consequences for patient safety. In the highly stressful and often fast-paced OR environment, nurses need to be able to focus on patient care without worrying about paperwork. By automating data processing, POC-6 terminals can significantly reduce workloads while eliminating errors associated with manual record-keeping.

Mdose works closely with a large network of healthcare system integrators. Currently, a staggering 70% of anesthesia applications use Advantech products, highlighting the company’s strong presence in the healthcare industry. Mr. Marron commented that despite significant investment in digital transformation in the French healthcare sector over the past decade, many hospitals and clinics have yet to adopt healthcare IT solutions. In light of this, Mdose is committed to expanding its market share by helping more healthcare institutions leverage the benefits of digital transformation while looking to promote its POC terminals to industrial users, including pharmaceutical, biotech, and pathology laboratories. These sectors require strict contamination and infection control protocols, and Mdose POC terminals can provide them with reliable and efficient solutions.