Mobile information and communication tools in the hospital

Mobile information and communication systems in clinical routine have the p otential to greatly improve communication, facilitate information access, e liminate double documentation, and increase quality of patient care in the long run. Projects to date have focused, for the most part, on highly speci alized applications of the mobile computer. In our research project, 'Coope rative Problem Solving in Health Care', we have, among other things, design ed a multifunctional mobile information and communication assistant. A prot otype version of this system was implemented. This article outlines the clo se-to-reality evaluation of our prototype in a 1-week simulation study in a Heidelberg University hospital. We describe methods, aims, design and resu lts of the simulation study, as well as discuss our methodology and the res ults we have obtained. We argue that the diverse requirements of different professional groups cannot be fulfilled by a single multifunctional device and propose, therefore, a 'multi-device mobile computer architecture'. Fina lly, we present consequences for the future computing infrastructure. (C) 2 000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.