By Lilia Guan

Telstra has won a contract from South Australia Health to roll out 17-inch (25.4cm) touch-screen computers across eight South Australian metropolitan and four country hospitals over the next 12 months.

 

The computers will provide a clinical workstation for doctors and nurses and will also be installed at specialist hospital points of care, such as; day surgery; aged care; chemotherapy; haematology areas; and emergency departments.

 

Chief medical officer professor Paddy Phillips said health care workers will have improved access to medical and patient information when new clinical applications come online by early 2013.

 

“The computers will improve safety - for example, clinicians will be able order tests and medication directly, reducing the risk of errors with the traditional handwritten approach.” Professor Phillips said.

 

“Bedside computers will also enable clinicians to show the patient relevant health information, X-rays and test results on-screen at the patient’s bedside.”

 

The contract was conducted through a tender process, with SA Health assessing a number of service providers via a formal tender process last year for the $36.7 million (over eight years) project.

 

Patients will also be able to access to all terrestrial digital television and radio stations available in their area, a range of pay television channels, movies, a dedicated phone line and filtered internet access on a pre-paid basis.

 

Telstra’s executive director, government and not-for-profit, told Government News that patients will also be able to choose from entertainment packages ranging in price from $6 to $18 per day.

 

“There will be no charge for the clinical applications of the computers used by doctors and nurses,” he said.

 

According to Mr Pearce, the computers can also be disinfected after every use.

 

“You can’t clean paper records, which are accessed by a number of people” he said.

 

Mr Pearce said Telstra has had some interest in the terminals from other states.