Symbol Technologies Helps Unplug the Wires at Monash Medical Center

Symbol Technologies Helps Unplug the Wires at Monash Medical
Center 


HOLTSVILLE, N.Y., Jan. 5  /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Symbol Technologies Inc.,
The Enterprise Mobility Company(TM), through its value-added distributor Warp
Systems, has provided handheld computers and wireless networking infrastructure
to facilitate a trial of wireless and healthcare mobility applications at
Monash Medical Center in Melbourne, Australia. The project, called mWard, has
been developed by the Center for Health Services and Operations Management
(CHSOM) at Monash University, also in Melbourne.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20041029/SYMBOLOGO )

Dr. Liza Heslop, Director for CHSOM, said, "The trial includes Symbol
Technologies wireless handheld devices that enable doctors and nurses to obtain
pathology and patient history reports, and NEC tablet PCs that receive and
display larger reports such as X-Rays -- all at the patient's bedside. This
represents a huge change in the healthcare industry, where patient information
usually consists of handwritten notes and hard copy reports stored in different
places. By making a more comprehensive array of information more readily
accessible where it is most needed, we can improve patients' hospital
experiences dramatically."

The project's chief aim is to speed up the flow of patient information, and
increase accuracy, eliminating the errors and double handling that can occur
when hard copies of information are misplaced or take too long to locate. By
giving doctors, nurses and other caregivers access to correct, up-
to-the-minute information wirelessly, hospitals can work more efficiently and
reduce potential mistakes such as administering the wrong treatment to
patients.

"Health workers spend a significant amount of time and effort seeking
information to make the next key decision about a patient's treatment. We
believe this technology will allow the hospital to run more efficiently,
enabling us to treat more patients. Instead of spending hours waiting to access
information, hospital staff will be able to treat and discharge patients
quickly and accurately," said Dr. Heslop.

How mWard works

When patients are admitted to Monash Medical Center's 26-bed neurology ward,
where the mWard project is taking place, doctors and nurses receive
information, such as pathology results and X-Rays to the handheld device
through a wireless network. This facilitates decision-making at the patient's
bedside, and reduces the amount of time it takes to make and act on decisions
about patient care.

The importance of a switched wireless network

Monash Medical Center is unique because it is the first Australian healthcare
site to run a converged data and voice infrastructure securely using a switched
wireless network. The Symbol Technologies wireless switch assists the network
in prioritizing data. It also enables each device to have a level of security
that is appropriate to both the device and its function, without limiting its
performance.

The wireless switched network supports multiple virtual Wireless Local Area
Networks (WLANs), each of which can be used for a different purpose, such as
voice and data applications. This means that the quality of service for each
application can be maintained, which is essential for an organization like
Monash Medical Center. Traditional wireless networks don't support multiple
virtual WLANs, so performance can suffer.

In non-switched wireless networks, separate infrastructures are required for
different functions, like voice calls, paging and data transfer. Because the
switched wireless network supports all applications on one infrastructure,
there is more flexibility to use converged devices. This means lower costs for
the organization and a simplified work environment for doctors and nurses who
now only have to carry one converged device rather than a PDA, wireless phone
and pager.

Future benefits

"The technology has enormous potential for the future. We could use it to
provide value added services for patients, such as wireless phones and wireless
hotspots for use while in the hospital," said Dr. Heslop.

The technology also creates opportunities for the hospital to run its network
more effectively. For example, hospital tenants such as pathology labs
typically use and pay for a portion of a hospital's infrastructure. A switched
wireless network allows the hospital to identify where the traffic flow comes
from and allocate the costs accurately, saving on infrastructure costs.

Warp Systems has provided the mWard project with Symbol wireless rugged PDAs
with integrated barcode scanners including associated peripherals, and in-kind
professional services contributions.

About Symbol Technologies

Symbol Technologies, Inc., The Enterprise Mobility Company(TM), is a recognized
worldwide leader in enterprise mobility, delivering products and solutions that
capture, move and manage information in real time to and from the point of
business activity. Symbol enterprise mobility solutions integrate advanced data
capture products, radio frequency identification technology, mobile computing
platforms, wireless infrastructure, mobility software and world-class services
programs under the Symbol Enterprise Mobility Services brand. Symbol enterprise
mobility products and solutions are proven to increase workforce productivity,
reduce operating costs, drive operational efficiencies and realize competitive
advantages for the world's leading companies. More information is available at
http://www.symbol.com/.

   For Symbol Technologies:
   For media information:
   Mark J. Ferrone               Maria Di Masi
   Symbol Technologies, Inc.     Euro RSCG Magnet
   408.528.2749                  212.367.6888
           

   For financial information:    For industry analyst information:
   Nancy Tully                   Shirley Schroedl
   Symbol Technologies, Inc.     Symbol Technologies, Inc.
   631.738.5050                  631.738.4823
                

http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20041029/SYMBOLOGODATASOURCE: Symbol
Technologies, Inc.



CONTACT: Media information - Mark J. Ferrone, [phone],

, or Maria Di Masi of Euro RSCG Magnet, [phone],

; or financial information - Nancy Tully,

[phone], ; or industry analyst information - Shirley

Schroedl, [phone], , all for Symbol Technologies,

Inc.



Web site:  http://www.symbol.com/ 

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