Public Safety Improves With Wireless Technology
Boston, MA – Anoto Group AB, the inventor of the Anoto Digital Pen and Paper technology, contributed to the success of a vaccination drill by the Solano County Public Health and Social Services Department. The wireless digital pen technology was instrumental in three key objectives that measured progress in evaluating safety of administering the vaccination, communication of health programs, as well as data quality at the county level. The Solano County accomplished the vaccination rate established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to properly prepare for the next influenza pandemic.
The contributing factor of success was that the digital pen and paper system immediately collected and processed the health history and contact details of 267 members of the public participating at the Solano County fair grounds in approximately an hour. A proper screening protocol was established, entailing two screening processes, 101 county employees, including doctors, nurses, health educators, the Public Information Officer, and numerous county line staff, plus the wireless technology, further developed by Arthur James, President of IS2BE, specifically for this flu vaccination event.
"Solano County Public Health is constantly working to prepare for public health emergencies, including the very real possibility of a pandemic flu," said Robin Cox, Health Education Manager for Solano County Public Health. "This technology gave the county healthcare professionals the critical patient information in real time to ensure that they were able to administer the flu vaccine to patients who would not have an adverse reaction. They were also able to assess the geographic locations that need additional communications from the U.S. Department of Health," Cox continued.
The reduced need for data entry and the hastened speed at which survey data was processed due to immediate onsite download from the digital pen enabled non-medical screeners to decide whether to send the patient for further screening prior to receiving the flu vaccination by a nurse. Nurses, who are better qualified to determine whether or not a patient could have an adverse reaction to the vaccine, conducted the second screening process resulting in 265 receiving the vaccine. The Public Health Department acquired confidence in their ability to manage a flu pandemic, such as bird flu or a tuberculosis outbreak.
As part of their safety goal, a health survey printed on digitally encoded paper was formulated to capture a participants' medical history, such as allergies, and contact information that they themselves could supply the important details. The staff noted that fewer data errors occurred when participants filled out their own surveys. Approximately 100 digital pens and surveys were developed in a way that would guide the patient through a series of comprehensive workflow questions and answers requiring addressing prior to anyone being given the vaccine.
The Solano County Public Health was able to analyze the data collected immediately and ascertain helpful medical intelligence such as the fact that they learned that approximately 15% of the public would need to go through a secondary screening.
Equipped with this knowledge, the health department could staff accordingly because they could expect this result. Lastly the Public Health Department found it crucial to be able to seamlessly integrate participant addresses captured from the pen with a Google Maps program to see how effectively they promoted the event in each city and area within their county. By identifying the areas of the county where residents did or did not show up to receive the free flu vaccine provided insight for future marketing and promotional efforts. Technology positively affecting public safety with greater insight and faster processes are clearly demonstrated in this proactive event.
SOURCE: Anoto Group AB