Microsoft applies the potential of the Internet of Things in the Care solution for hospitals & Comfort

Based on Microsoft technologies, the Care solution & Comfort takes advantage of the Internet of Things (IoE) to offer patients admitted to the hospital an intelligent system to be in contact and communicate easily with the outside world, as has been successfully materialized at the Lille University Hospital, in France.

With the aim of improving the quality and service of admitted patients, the Lille University Hospital, located in the French town of the same name, has opted for an innovative hospital intelligence solution (smart health) based on technologies Microsoft, in combination with the possibilities offered by the Internet of Things (IoE – Internet of Things) to improve the experience and comfort of more than 87.000 patients seen annually, as well as the efficiency of the center's staff.

For this project, the hospital requested the French specialist Care & Comfort to design a centralized solution, secure and scalable, based on intelligent multimedia terminals with Windows system, connected to existing IT infrastructure (which includes servers with this operating system) and that it would be integrated with proprietary and specialized technology, such as electronic medical records, images, storage and communication systems, as well as on the media server.

Optimize care at the bedside

This solution, called Care & Comfort, It is based on a terminal located at the head of the patient's bed that connects with multiple existing data sources in a secure and simple way, so that the sick can communicate with the outside world, your loved ones, etc. while the healthcare team has access to critical patient information.

The hospital has replaced telephones and televisions in the rooms to install these multimedia touch terminals. “We were very interested in providing services that could keep patients in touch with their families and even with their work., something that a hospital usually does not offer, and when someone enters they usually feel very alone”, explains Philippe Mayjonade, general coordinator of patient service at Lille Hospital.

After studying some proposals from market suppliers, Those responsible for the hospital center opted for Microsoft technology and the Care solution & Comfort, both for “his experience in the medical environment and his innovation, as because their Windows Embedded terminals could connect to the existing infrastructure, and their SQL Server and SharePoint Server systems run on the center server”, Mayjonade points out.

Besides, This solution also integrated without problems and guarantees with the technology used by the hospital for its healthcare work., like communication systems (PACS) of Siemens, medical images and files, the linux based media server, etc.

This intelligent system also takes advantage of the built-in capabilities of Windows Server, including Active Directory Domain services for role-based access to resources and services to remotely install applications and system settings. Patients can connect to web-based services, such as Skype, email accounts, watching television and radio programs or communicating with nurses.

As the head of international sales at Care points out & Comfort, Sacha Devillers, “The incorporation of new functions is also very simple, That's why we like to work with Microsoft technology, since we can integrate our terminals more easily into an existing IT environment, as well as take advantage of the multilingual support functionality. “That is a real value when you have staff and patients of multiple nationalities.”.

Improved doctor-patient communication

These touch terminals have a separate interface for healthcare personnel (with access to patient records, medication, evidence, etc.) and another for patients. When the latter are admitted to the Lille Hospital, They are assigned a set of credentials that provides access to applications and media, and its interface can be easily customized with age, the capabilities and level of mobility they have.

The system allows you to create, sharing and accessing patient information by professionals, that instead of taking notes and then transcribing them manually into an electronic system, a can complete the work directly from the patient's bedside, reducing the potential for errors and improving treatment options and screen exam results.

Regarding patient satisfaction and experience during their admission, also improves significantly as Devillers points out, “This system opens communication between the medical staff and the patient, that you get a better experience from your stay and improve your knowledge and safety of what is happening, since the doctors inform you on site of any questions through the screen”.

The project has been coordinated by the communication solutions provider NextiraOne, who has worked together with the IT managers of the Lille Hospital and the Care team & Comfort. To date, this center has installed 1.928 headend multimedia terminals and 653 televisions with Internet access. The next phase of this project includes integration of applications and medical devices.

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