Once doctors and nurses clock in for their shifts, they don’t stop until they clock back out. At least, they shouldn’t have to stop. They should be able to move from one patient to the next seamlessly without having to run back to the nurses’ station for any reason other than to rest, especially given the high utilization rate of mobile computing technologies in clinical settings these days.
With the right mobility solution, clinicians can:
And these are just three of the many different ways that mobile devices can improve care team communications, protect sensitive data and maintain patient privacy. (You can read about the rest here.) To be honest, I don’t think anyone in healthcare would argue that there’s a downside to widespread mobile device use among hospital, clinic, laboratory or pharmacy staff. There are just too many benefits.
That being said, it has come to Zebra’s attention recently that increased mobile device utilization has, in fact, interrupted some workflows in clinical settings around the world. After further investigation and several conversations with clinicians, we realized that there are three main reasons why some mobility solutions are either unnecessarily slowing them down or introducing unnecessary risk in patient care processes:
If you hand me a clinical smartphone during shift change that’s still logged into your unique digital identity/device profile, and I didn’t notice because I got busy right away, then when I go to swipe or scan my ID badge to unlock the screen, I’m essentially accessing the device and all synced business systems as you. If I make a mistake updating a patient’s EHR, it will look like it was your mistake since I was logged in as you. Plus, it is unlikely that my colleagues will be able to reach me when needed since I’m still technically logged into your email and receiving calls made to your personal phone number…not mine.
Fortunately, each of these issues can easily be mitigated!
The first one can be avoided by equipping all care team members with rugged, enterprise-grade clinical smartphones, which is something that should be happening in all hospitals around the world for the many reasons that my colleague Chris Sullivan detailed in this recent blog post. The other two issues can instantly be resolved by empowering clinicians to use single sign-on (SSO) to retrieve their unique profiles, or digital identities, on shared mobile devices.
Seem too good to be true?
Trust me, it’s not. Zebra has actually been working with partner Imprivata to integrate its well-known Imprivata Mobile SSO technology into our Workforce Connect solution this year. And early deployments within hospitals have been quite impactful on care team efficiency as well as data security, patient privacy and overall safety.
Anyone who has ever used an SSO tool to access a work computer or mobile device can appreciate the ease and convenience of logging in one time – using one password, badge swipe or scan – to access every application, file and tool needed to get a job done. SSO technology is celebrated for its ability to boost productivity among users, particularly within the healthcare community. Doctors and nurses can’t afford to waste even a few seconds trying to remember and type in a password every time they need to get into their mobile device to make a call, access an EHR, submit a lab order, print a specimen label or verify a patient’s identity.
However, Zebra and Imprivata both understand that SSO does far more than just simplify device and application access. If properly integrated into the device’s profile manager (i.e. Workforce Connect), SSO can help unlock many additional benefits that enable healthcare providers to extract an even greater return on investment (ROI) from their clinical mobility solutions.
Watch this:
In other words, healthcare systems that empower care teams to access shared rugged, enterprise-grade mobile devices via the new Workforce Connect-Imprivata Mobile SSO solution can expect the following benefits:
Contact us to learn more about how to update your clinical mobility solution to allow for SSO access via Workforce Connect.
As the Senior independent software vendor (ISV) Manager for Healthcare at Zebra Technologies, Daria Cuda utilizes her extensive experience in healthcare technology to work closely with Zebra's ISV partners in North America to align on strategy and ultimately grow business opportunities.
Prior to Zebra, Daria worked at Code Corporation as the Manager of Healthcare Alliances, ISVs, and Channel Marketing. While there, Daria conducted solution trainings for partners and customers, provided industry knowledge and strategic guidance, worked with partners on marketing strategies and often participated as a speaker at industry events. She also worked closely with several large EHR companies to help them adopt new technologies that fundamentally changed the industry.
Before her work at Code, Daria worked at a VAR, Futura Mobility, where she worked as the Healthcare Marketing Manager. While at Futura, she helped to launch a new company, Pursuit Healthcare Advisors, an EHR consulting firm that was acquired by Atos after a few short years. She also worked to develop Practice Unite, a secure communications platform application. It was sold to Uniphy Health, which was recently acquired by Harris Healthcare. Daria also played an integral role in the development of several chronic disease management applications for COPD and diabetes.
Daria also worked at Accenture as a Digital Marketing Consultant. Specifically, she led a team at AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals that managed AZhelps, an app that helps customers to manage their medications.
Daria is an active member of the Delaware Valley HIMSS Chapter having served on various committees over the past 7 years. Daria earned her undergraduate degree from Saint Vincent College in public relations and advertising and she earned her MBA from the Florida Institute of Technology. She resides in New Jersey just outside of Philadelphia.