Teikyo University HospitalConstructed the industry's largest VoIP system for the Japan's largest new hospital ward. Advancing work style innovation of medical field using "onefone™" for voice and data.

Background

Start constructing smooth communication environment to achieve "time-savings" in medical field

Teikyo University Hospital, one of 82 advanced treatment hospitals in Japan, providing advanced medical treatment, opened Japan's largest new hospital ward with 1154 beds in May 2009 in order to contribute to the local community by realizing a medical care system.

The building has 19 stories above ground and two below, 23 treatment departments with cutting-edge medical equipment, an emergency medical care center, and General Center for Perinatal Medicine. Moreover, there are restaurants, convenience stores, a barber and beauty shop, a bank, and a roof-top garden with a magnificent view in the building, and the building provides the environment where inpatients and outpatients can stay reassuringly and comfortably.

In addition, a communication infrastructure was constructed to realize efficient communications in the medical field.

Mr. Tomohiro Sawa, Chief Information Officer, Associate Professor of Department of Anesthesia, Teikyo University, explains, "The infrastructure constructed in our new hospital ward is one of the ways to realize our slogan ‘Healthy Hospital'".

Healthy Hospital has three meanings: (1) patients get better, (2) busy medical staff can work healthily and reassuringly, and (3) healthy hospital management to assuredly provide medical care. They considered introducing integrated voice/data system using mobile handsets as focusing on "time-savings" in the medical field when constructing a new communication environment.

There are many cases that staff has to wait in the busy medical field. "For example, doctors are often kept waiting for an emergency patient in an operating room even though the patient has not arrived. Then, staff search for the patient, and find out that the patient is still being examined. This is not unusual," says Mr. Sawa. If the situation is shared real-time, such problems will not occur. "In other words, if a mechanism to enable staff to communicate with each other smoothly is introduced, loss time is eliminated, and staff can spend more time for patient care," says Mr. Sawa.

Installation Process

Convinced of advantages of mobile phones with wireless LAN functions learned from other case study

When they started planning the new hospital ward construction in 2005, infrastructure was considered based on the use of integrated voice/data IP network from an early stage of planning, and wireless LAN was expected to be used for mobile handset connections. At a medical institution where highly confidential information such as electronic medical charts is exchanged, dividing networks into multiple systems for data system as well as voice system is not unusual, however, Mr. Sawa says "We determined that it was possible to realize a steady and secure environment using fast-evolving information and communication technologies where physical networks were integrated."

Meanwhile, they focused on NEC as a communication system vendor at an early stage. They looked at NTT DOCOMO's FOMA®/Wireless LAN Dual-Network Handset that can integrate voice and data into one handset.

A case study of "The Peninsula Tokyo" opened by The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited in September 2007 accelerated their interest in NEC's solutions. "Not only providing mobile handsets (FOMA® N902iL) to hotel guests, but also a mechanism of information communications for hotel staff that messaging functions are linked with other devices and systems in the facility interested me very much," Mr. Sawa comments on The Peninsula Tokyo's system constructed by NEC. He visited the hotel, checked the actual operations, and was convinced that the system can be applied to the medical field.

System Overview

Realizing nurse call system linkage & alert notification on vital data

Then, communication infrastructure was constructed on LAN with SIP-based telephony server "UNIVERGE SV7000" as a core, IP-enabled unified messaging system "UnifiedStar i", automated voice response system for receiving outside calls "VoiceOperator", 767 multi-functional IP phones, 11 wireless LAN control system "WL Controller", and 500 wireless access points. In addition, the system is linked with a nurse call system essential for operations in the hospital ward.

The latest model of FOMA®/Wireless LAN Dual-Network Handset, "onefone™", is employed as mobile handset in view of instant messaging, the linkage with address book functions, and the expansion such as the linkage with servers to be installed in the future. 118 handsets as a receiver of the nurse call system for nurses, and 679 handsets for doctors and medical staff are introduced. Furthermore, 265 of NEC's UNIVERGE® Terminal MH250 In-building Telephones are also introduced.

The scale of the full-IP system to handle approximately 1800 phones including wired and wireless is one of large medical institutions.

One of the functional keys is that the handsets linked to the nurse call system are tailored in order to enable users to intuitively understand the caller's location and purpose. User interfaces are realized by using functions of "onefone™" such as ringtone and illumination settings.

Moreover, test operations for patients who cannot use the nurse call system by themselves are running. The handsets are linked to vital data monitoring equipment installed in patient rooms, and an alert notification is sent to relevant doctors and nurses through instant messaging when the equipment detects abnormal data.

Installation Results and Future Benefits

Eager to move to next step as it is receiving greater regard than expected

Mr. Sawa says, "I expected some complaints about usability or sound quality, but it rarely happened. Young interns start using the instant messaging function as a communication tool even though we did not explain this function in advance. Honestly, I am surprised that the new system was adapted to our daily operations so quickly, and contributed to work manner innovation in such a short period," regarding the staff's reaction to the VoIP mobile environment.

Additionally, some departments share the handsets according to staff's work shifts, and outpatient staff, who were not initially included in this plan, requested to add mobile handsets so that they can use them. These reactions clearly show growth in awareness of the new system's benefits.

NEC's solutions already proved the advantages only full-IP system can bring. Mr. Sawa says, "We had to change the purpose of some rooms one month after we opened this ward, but the relocation of phones was done simply by switching LAN cables. Layout changes often occur in medical institutions, so I believe there will be a tremendous cost and workload reduction effect."

As a plan for the future, they are thinking of fully utilizing linkage with examination equipment. Mr. Sawa says, "To expand usage, we are planning to add new alert types."

Furthermore, they are thinking of providing services using location information obtained from a mobile environment. Mr. Kozo Mizutani, Assistant Professor of Medical Information & System Research Center (MISC), Teikyo University, says, "For example, if an emergency occurs in the ward, we can quickly find nurses in the area and give instructions using the location information of the handsets carried with the nurses. I also believe that more patient-oriented care can be provided, for example, by installing wireless LAN terminals on wheelchairs or lending handsets to patients, the nearest nurse can take care of patients without making announcements through the speakers."

Teikyo University Hospital is also ready to focus on research to contribute to medical field innovation using the advanced infrastructure in the new hospital ward. And Mr. Sawa says, "We hope our results can help other medical institutions as the best practice for constructing environment where medical staff can work healthily, and we also hope NEC, who helped us construct this infrastructure, can contribute to the medical industry through their experience and know-how."

Customer profile

Teikyo University Hospital

Outline

FOMA is a registered trademark of NTT DoCoMo.

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