Case Study: Duke University Health System - Mobilizing Information To Maintain Excellence In Healthcare

"The Health System's mission," explains Allen Coleman, IT Manager of the Mobile Computing Group for Duke Health Technology Solutions, "is to meet the healthcare needs of the people we serve, and to foster the very best medical education and biomedical research. As the healthcare provider of choice in our region, we know that we need to employ innovative technology to develop new and better models of healthcare. Most recently, we've been implementing a variety of mobile solutions on handheld devices which are managed and secured by Afaria from iAnywhere. Mobile technology provides our clinical, academic and research constituents with the information they need when and where they need it."

The mobile computing initiative at DUHS was initially driven by a group of doctors in the Department of Medicine who wanted access to critical patient information and research materials on their PDAs.

"The physicians wanted to be able to view current information on patient status, lab results, and other data to allow them to deliver the best possible care," recalls Coleman. "To provide this capability, we needed to be able to deliver and update a patient information application and to ensure the security of the information in accordance with HIPAA regulations. They also wanted access to other related reference information, such as pharmaceutical and insurance formulary information."

This project became the initial pilot program that has led to the Health System's institution-wide mobility initiative.