Diagnosis: Panasonic Toughbook H1 Meets Health-Care Needs

Despite a stagnant economy, one of the few bright spots for 2009 is in the health-care arena. A recent Gartner study found that the majority of care delivery organizations are optimistic that their overall IT budgets will increase in 2009 vs. 2008. Solution providers, therefore, should be on the lookout for devices targeting this segment.

With the health-care segment in mind, Panasonic Computer Solutions Tuesday unveiled the Panasonic Toughbook H1, a fully rugged mobile clinical assistant that uses the low-power Intel Atom processor.

According to the company, Panasonic engineers talked with clinicians around the world to determine what they wanted in a mobile device. Based on that feedback, the H1 weighs in at 3.4 pounds, offers low heat production, and integrates hand-strap and bar-code reader placement.

Panasonic's mobile clinical assistant, or MCA, aims to improve workflow, maximize efficiency and ease clinical loads for doctors and nurses, allowing them to access patient records at the point of care and document patients' conditions in realtime.

The new Toughbook H1 has six hours of battery life, dual hot-swappable batteries, standard daylight viewable screen and integrated Gobi technology in a sealed and easily sanitized package. The unit is designed for easy disinfection, reducing the risk of germs being spread from patient to patient. It offers a fanless design, which limits the opportunity for germs to be transported by the device. The H1 also has a smooth surface with sealed buttons, a gapless LCD screen and no exposed ports.

In addition, Panasonic designed a software utility that can be programmed to remind users to wipe the unit down at defined intervals. The utility automatically records a successful cleaning for the hospital's permanent records.

With an integrated RFID reader, 2.0-megapixel auto-focus camera with dual LED lights, a bar-code reader, contactless smart-card reader and fingerprint reader, the device is a platform for bar-code medication administration, vitals capture and electronic medical records capture and review.

To meet the needs for mobility in both facilities and in-home health environments, the H1 offers a range of embedded wireless options including 802.11a/b/g/draft-n and Bluetooth 2.0. The device can also ship with Qualcomm's new Gobi technology, simplifying complex multicarrier wireless deployments for IT departments. The H1 will be certified on all major networks in the U.S., which lets workers stay connected regardless of their geography.