Derive Blogs

Before the pandemic, new healthcare technologies such as telehealth and clinal mobile devices were already making an impact worldwide.

However, now as we continue to move through unprecedented demands, the push for innovation has been superseded by the need for agile practicality.

Results shared at the Becker’s 5th Annual Health IT + Revenue Cycle Conference indicate that healthcare facilities both big and small are still struggling with:

• Caregiver engagement - As more COVID-19 cases are added to pre-existing treatment plans, healthcare professionals are overwhelmed daily with patients. Stress can lead to costly accidents and mix-ups.
  
  
• Recruiting - Turnover rates in healthcare have been steadily increasing since 2016, reaching over 20% in 2020. CNAs have the highest turnover rates, going as far as 40% in nursing homes. Not only is recruiting new experienced caregivers difficult but complicated technologies and workflows may further contribute to turnover rates as employees struggle to adapt to new procedures.
  
  
• Cybersecurity - More than 93% of healthcare facilities have experienced a data breach within the last four years, compromising both billing and patient information. As digitization continues to reframe multiple industries, healthcare facilities tend to be more skeptical. However, paper-based systems and manual data entry also leave room for costly errors.
  
  
• Patient Safety - All these challenges ultimately affect patient safety as caregivers struggle to ensure accuracy, privacy, and efficiency on multiple fronts.

Yesterday’s challenges have become today’s major obstacles in providing superior patient care. While there are many technological solutions currently attempting to solve these issues, Derive Technologies recommends evaluating your clinical mobile devices with the following questions to pinpoint optimization opportunities.

Are your devices easy to use?

Research presented in Zebra’s 2022 Hospital Vision Study highlights the increased demand caregivers currently face to adopt mobile devices. From nurses to pharmacists, an estimated 40% or more of the hospital staff will adopt mobile devices to help prevent miscommunication, which currently accounts for at least 70% of medical errors.

To accommodate less-experienced staff members, we recommend devices with:

• Familiar operating systems like Android
• Touchscreen devices to reduce manual data entry
• Dependable training and technical support services are available
   

Are your devices easy to manage?

As more devices are deployed, IT departments need a simpler way to manage devices. Applications such as Zebra’s PowerPrecion+ and Device Tracker assist teams in tracking battery life and device performance to safeguard uptime.

Can you store sensitive data in your device while complying with HIPAA laws?

Instead of having to transpose written notes onto a desktop, modernized clinical devices running on updated operating systems can capture, store, share, and protect patient information. For example, the new TC52x-HC on Zebra’s fortified Android-OS, protecting data with:

• Government-grade encryption
• Two-factor authentication
• 90-day security patches
   

Does your device streamline multiple workflows?

To minimize the need of carrying multiple devices around the hospital, modernized devices can perform several tasks such as data capture and EHR reporting. This prevents additional devices from being lost and increasing operation costs.

If you answered “no” to any of these questions, it may be time to consider modernizing your digital devices. As a Zebra Business Partner, Derive Technologies offers several future-forward mobility solutions designed to survive the high demands of healthcare. To explore the benefits of our full device portfolio, contact us today.