Healthcare organizations need all the help they can get from technology if they are to deliver on the Quality, Improvement, Productivity and Prevention agenda. Yet they will always face the challenges of safeguarding personal data and the increasing amount of harvested performance data. Advances in Microsoft's new Windows 7 operating system provide some compelling ways to meet these demands.
From chief executive to hospital porter, everybody working in healthcare needs information that much faster these days; which means they need their computers to work that much harder for them, says Windows OEM and WGA product manager, Laurence Painell.
"This is the very essence of what we set out to achieve with Windows 7; to make it easier for busy workers to use computers, so they can all do their jobs more efficiently," he says. "After all, the last thing they need is for technology to hinder them.
"When developing Windows 7, one of our main aims was to 'simplify, simplify, simplify' the PC experience. We invested a lot of time in getting to know how people work with their computers, so we could make the new operating system (OS) faster and more user-friendly."
Dan Simpson, client services manager at P1 Technology Partners, who has been using a trial version of the new OS, finds it much more responsive than previous versions - and has yet to meet anyone who disagrees. "It seems Microsoft has listened - and listened hard - to what information workers need in the workplace, and this time round they've delivered a feature-rich, concise OS," he says.
"Windows 7 is pulling a few tricks out of the bag that should tip the balance for healthcare organizations who've delayed upgrading their operating system."
Business benefits, minimized costs
These benefits have traditionally come with a hardware overhead for both businesses and public sector organizations. However, Mr. Painell says Microsoft was keen to spare cash-strapped organizations with ageing hardware from having to upgrade their systems to run the new OS.
"Windows 7 is therefore the first OS to require a lower minimum hardware specification than its predecessors. It means a trust can run any version of Windows 7 on a low-spec PC with as little as 1GB of RAM. Even if it means adding some extra RAM, that's a much cheaper option than buying new machines."
"For example, there's the Windows XP Mode feature" (an embedded Windows XP virtual client for the more technically minded) available to machines running Windows 7. This allows older (but popular) XP programs to work perfectly on the Windows 7 desktop.
"That's fantastic news for healthcare organizations who perhaps feared their existing programs might not work under a new OS. It also means less training and learning for staff who are happy with the XP experience - again reducing the cost of implementation."
Windows 7 is also greener. Platform and processor efficiencies reduce power consumption and help to lower energy costs. The new OS contains diagnostic tools to help IT staff better handle power management issues on computers and extend the battery life of portable computers.
The personal touch
Windows 7 also makes emerging healthcare technologies more friendly and personal. A common complaint among patients is that doctors spend too much time staring at their PCs during consultations and not enough discussing their condition.
Dr. Bill Crounse, Microsoft senior director of worldwide health, says Windows 7's support for Touch and Multi-touch will allow healthcare professionals to communicate much more meaningfully with patients. "The new OS will make it easier for them to share images and graphics in the surgery using programs and devices that exploit this type of hands-on technology."
As the use of Tablet PCs within healthcare organizations continues to grow, many information workers will welcome the improved handwriting and voice recognition functions in the new OS.
"Like many physicians, my hand-writing is terrible, but Windows 7 is truly amazing in its ability to recognize my scribble," says Dr. Crounse. "It also learns, so the recognition gets better the more I use it." He says the same is true for voice recognition. "I just talk to my machine and it does what I want, from opening applications to dictating a letter."
Mr. Painell adds that the interface is crammed with new features to make working with Windows more intuitive; even for staff with little previous computer experience. "By introducing simpler ways of navigating the screen, we've made it easier for healthcare workers to find information quickly.
"For instance, we've added a taskbar preview feature to give them an instant view of what documents they've got open. And there's an area in the taskbar to help them connect quickly to available wireless network when moving between sites." Search has also been beefed up, yet simplified: now searching your PC is as easy as searching the web.
One more essential quality of Windows 7 is the fast boot time - in healthcare situations, warm-up time can be a real problem. "Shorter boot times, faster 'sleep and resume', and better memory make for more responsive systems," says Mr. Painell.
"These and other nifty touches - like the redesigned task bar and gadgets on the desktop - can save users valuable seconds on routine tasks, which all adds up in the long run."
Help with many IT challenges
In the boiler room of the IT department, a Windows 7 architecture also has much to offer NHS IT teams:
Security: BitLocker to Go extends the Bitlocker full volume encryption to USB devices - so no more "lost stick" panics.
Remote network services: BranchCache downloads centrally-held files to remote site caches, handling permissions and versioning automatically. Meanwhile DirectAccess safeguards any centrally-held information that healthcare workers access remotely.
Moreover, it does so without the hassle of going through a Virtual Private Network (VPN). "It's a feature that's likely to attract the many healthcare organizations with concerns over the security of data moving to and from outlying sites," says Windows 7 user, Ian Arbuthnot, director of IM&T at South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Trust.
Windows 7 is the most logical step for many NHS organizations, according to Microsoft UK healthcare strategic marketing manager, Mark Treleaven. "It drives lower total cost of ownership by making employees more productive, wherever they are, and simplifying PC management across an organization.
"Thanks to a more streamlined installation process, Windows 7 also promises to be the most painless rollout of any OS to date," he adds - and that's more welcome news for the IT department.
Dr. Bill Crounse, M.D.
Dr. Bill Crounse, M.D., is senior director, worldwide health for Microsoft Corporation. Dr. Crounse is responsible for working with industry partners and healthcare organizations to help them benefit from using Microsoft technologies and solutions. Prior to joining Microsoft, Dr. Crounse was vice president and chief medical information officer for Overlake Hospital Medical Center and the Overlake Venture Center in Bellevue, Wash. Also, read Dr. Crounse's Healthcare Web log to get more insights into the latest technologies and trends in the healthcare industry.