EthIR STAR wireless infrared connectivity enables hand-held radiology for improved patient care

NOVEMBER 27--Stanford University Medical Center, Department of Radiology (Milpitas, CA), has successfully transferred radiological images from GE Medical Systems' picture archiving and communications system (PACS) to a hand-held personal digital assistant (PDA) via Clarinet Systems' wireless infrared connectivity solution, EthIR STAR (www.clarinetsys.com). This linkage allows images, overlays, and radiological reports stored in the PACS to be transferred wirelessly to PDAs running the Palm OS or a Pocket PC. This groundbreaking project demonstrates how physicians and medical students can share images with colleagues and patients without the need for hard copies or making a trip to the radiology department for film.

Physicians are relying more and more on hand-held devices for patient data, medical references, and scheduling. With EthIR STAR, health-care professionals can connect to the hospital's network from any location where the infrared access hub is stationed and transfer critical data and images to their PDA within seconds. Timely, accurate, and up-to-date information is paramount for physicians to successfully treat their patients, and the EthIR STAR provides the instant connectivity needed to transfer those data. Using wireless infrared connectivity, hospitals and health systems not only save money on deployment costs, they reduce human error when transcribing notes, increase availability of real-time treatment and diagnoses, and save physicians' time, all of which impacts the quality of patient care.

Unlike radio-frequency wireless solutions, Clarinet Systems' infrared technology allows hand-held connectivity to PDAs without expensive software, hardware, and cradles and, more important, provides an open, secure HIPAA-compliant solution[HIPAA] mandates regulations that govern privacy, security, and electronic transaction standards for health-care information.)