The rapidly evolving technical progress has brought to changes in the medical field. Even if digital patient records or the faster electronic transmission of patient data are now widespread: modern computer systems in combination with the cloud enable previously unimaginable solutions.
The increasing availability of fast mobile internet has established telemetry in medicine. Clinical information systems are already being used nationwide and integrate the various administrative and clinical subsystems. Smaller practices are increasingly turning to digital patient management systems and digital video systems.
In the near future, topics such as a virtual reality, cloud computing, big data and machine learning will become increasingly important. For example, patients can easily share collected data via their smartphone or wearable with attending physicians. Genomes of tumors and other complicated genetic material can now be digitized and thus processed faster. Analyzes of very large amounts of data is very important in the medical field and is greatly simplified and accelerated by big data.
In addition to these possibilities, the everyday life in the health care also brings with it requirements that can not be covered with the usual computer systems. These range from increased hygiene standards (antibacterial, easy-to-clean surfaces) in the areas where the systems come in contact with the patient, to an extended immunity to electromagnetic radiation, in order to work even in high-load areas, but for also in order not to act as a disturber yourself and hamper treatments or distort measurement results. All of this requires dedicated hardware with special healthcare features.
Important standards and certificates for medical electrical equipment
EN 60601: The DIN standards for medical technology define safety requirements and performance criteria for electrical equipment operated by the mains supply for the diagnosis and monitoring of persons to be treated. The current third edition has been heavily revised, especially in the area of risk management.
IEC 60601-1: This is the international equivalent of the European EN 60601 standard issued by the International Electrotechnical Commission.
PCs for use in healthcare
In addition to the classic areas of application in the industrial environment, other areas of application also make some demands on the computers used, which can not be uses with conventional standard hardware. Also, the use in the health service represents a special case. Depending on the application profile, in addition to the usual features, such as long-term availability, longevity and robustness, there are more in the background that are usually more in the background.
Patient Infotainment
Panel PCs located directly at the patient's bed, which are intended to serve the entertainment of the patient through TV and the Internet, but also to provide information. During the doctor's visit, the doctor can display the patient's diagnosis, images, x-rays and more on the screen. Some of these systems can also be used as a telephone. The most important difference to other industrial PPCs here are the hygiene requirements that are placed on the devices, so they usually have to be cleaned with harsh cleaning agents or even have antibacterial surfaces.
Nursing
Also, the recording of data at the bedside or the administration of medication is nowadays usually with IT support. For this purpose, mobile, battery-powered devices are used, which are carried by the nursing staff. Often, these tablet PCs are equipped with features that are unusual in other tablets. RFID and barcode reader for drug detection, easy-to-clean surfaces, or even built-in flashlights to keep sleeping patients awake at night for vital signs. Another, often used, design are nursing carts, wagons on which a complete medical PC with display or a medical panel PC with mobile power supply are housed. These can be pushed by the sisters to the patient bed.
Diagnostics and device medicine
In medical technology, images must often be imaged by a doctor in the highest quality. For this purpose, on the one hand, needed a high resolution up to 4k, but also a defined, high-contrast color reproduction to avoid misdiagnosis, e.g. when viewing x-rays.
In addition, all computers used in health care must have high electromagnetic compatibility, on the one hand, to be protected from fields generated by the medical equipment, on the other hand, in order not to become a distractor and to falsify measured values. For this purpose, the PCs are certified according to their purpose in corresponding test procedures.
Medical Embedded PC |
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The MEDS-BS200 from Medwel is a compact, fanless embedded PC based on the 4" WUX-3455 board, which offers high computing and graphics performance through the use of Intel Apollo Lake 2 and 4 core CPUs with very low power dissipation combined. The computer can be equipped with up to 8GB of RAM and has a GigaBit Ethernet LAN, RS232, six USB ports and a microSD card slot for easy data exchange. Via an M.2 interface further wireless communication channels such as WLAN, Bluetooth, 3G and 4G can be realized. The computer has the powerful Intel Gen9 graphics engine, which improves the 3D graphics performance and supports fast 4K codecs. Two screens can be connected via DisplayPort and HDMI with 4K resolution. The robust, low-maintenance architecture, compact dimensions and low heat dissipation (and thus heat generation) of only 6W/10W qualify the MEDS-BS200 in addition to the stationary application also for use in mobile emergency centers, crisis areas and emergency vehicles rescue vehicles.
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Medical Displays |
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The MEDS-M1900 is a 19" medical-grade monitor with built-in capacitive touch screen. The pure white housing and "true-flat" surface are easy to clean, making it an ideal screen for use in examination and treatment rooms.
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The MEDS-M2200 is a 22", 16:9 medical-grade monitor for more critical application scenarios, such as operating theaters, laboratories and nursing homes. The screen offers high contrast and high brightness at a wide viewing angle, ensuring a consistent and reliable, high quality display of medical images.
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Medical Panel PC |
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The HID-2132 from Avalue is a multitouch medical PPC in slim design (depth only 45.5mm) with a screen diagonal of 21.5" in the aspect ratio of 18:9. The maximum resolution is 3840x2160 pixels (standard 1920x1080) with a brightness of 250 nits and an excellent contrast ratio of 3000:1. The PPC can be ordered with high-performance Intel 6th generation CPUs from Core i processors or a Celeron 3955U and can be equipped with up to 16GB of DDR4 RAM. A special feature is the optionally isolated interfaces that protect the PPC from overvoltage’s of up to 5kV (lightning strike). By optional battery pack, which provides a self-sufficient supply of up to 20 minutes in case of power failures. allows the functional reliability can be additionally increased. The case is also antibacterial coated. All this makes the PPC ideal for use in the most critical applications, e.g. in operating theaters. To increase the functionality even further, the PPC can be equipped with an additional module with magnetic stripe, smartcard and RFID readers, NFC and barcode scanner.
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The MEDS-P1001 is a compact 10.1" PPC designed for use at the patient's bedside (as a patient infotainment system or nurse vital signs display) with smooth, antibacterial coated surfaces that are easily and effectively cleansed by their alcohol resistance to ensure optimal hygiene at the patient's bedside. The PPC is equipped with a 10-finger multi-touch screen and offers through a built-in 5-megapixel front camera the patient the possibility of video telephony. The connection to the network is via Gbit-LAN or WLAN. As interfaces there are 2x USB, 1x COM and Bluetooth available, for example to connect wireless headphones. By contrast, doctors and nurses can use a built-in RFID reader to identify and retrieve patient data.
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With the WMP-249 Wincomm offers a highly configurable medical panel PC in the screen size 24" with 10-Finger Multitouch. It can be equipped with Intel Core-i CPUs of the 4th generation and manage up to 16GB of memory. The standard interfaces include 6x USB, 2xCOM, 2xGbit-LAN, 1xDVI-D (Video-in for display), 2xDP for connecting additional monitors. Via one PCIe x16 and two mini PCIe slots as well as a second drive bay, the following options are still possible, making the PPC one of the most versatile in its class: WLAN, Bluetooth, 5 megapixel camera, battery pack, PoE, smart card reader , DVD drive, second mass storage, 4kV isolation card (2x COM, 1x LAN, 1x USB), RFID reader, two more COM, Full-HD Capture Card etc. Upon request, the PPC is also DICOM standard for the contrast - and true to color representation of X-ray images and the like delivered.
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Medical Rugged Tablets |
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The MTab-1202 is a 12" medical tablet with Intel Cherry Trail-T Z8550 specifically designed for healthcare use. It has an Intel Cherry Trail-T Z855 CPU and runs under Windows 10 and thus offers high compatibility with other computers in the hospital network. The surface is antibacterial coated and alcohol resistant, thus easy to clean and sterilize. Optionally, the tablet can be equipped with magnetic stripe, smartcard and barcode readers. In addition to the operation of the P-CAP touch screen with the fingers, an operation with the optionally available active stylus is possible, the risk of accidental misuse, for example. minimized by placing the handball.
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