In the UK trial at Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, phlebotomists and nurses used iSOFT's i.Clinical Manager (i.CM) on MCA devices. The project at Salford Royal was primarily to understand precisely how the MCA would be used in practice by clinical staff when it is integrated with actual medical and business processes.

Fifteen MCAs loaded with iSOFT's i.CM were used in a trial at Salford Royal. The ability to view and record clinical details at the point of care was found to improve the quality of information and efficiency of clinicians. Access to information in real-time proved particularly beneficial to phlebotomists as it prevented blood samples being taken unnecessarily and the need for duplicate tests. Salford Royal is an existing user of iSOFT's i.CM clinical software application as well as other iSOFT applications for patient administration, accident and emergency, and laboratory information systems.

"As a leading EMR provider, iSOFT is a natural choice for MCA trial collaboration," said Louis Burns, vice president and general manager, Intel's Digital Health Group. "We have enjoyed working closely with iSOFT, Motion, the NHS and the nurses at Salford Royal to develop a technology solution that truly serves the needs of healthcare professionals in clinical settings."

"Historically, one of the reasons EMR implementations have been only moderately successful is that independent vendors of hardware, software and infrastructure did not collaborate early enough in the solution design lifecycle," said Nigel Owens, Motion general manager of EMEA. "That's why iSOFT's work here is important. Its work with Motion and Intel will continue to help improve clinician experiences with the Motion C5 MCA."

Bill Henry, iSOFT's chief operating officer, said: "MCA is a major advance in mobile healthcare computing and finally puts computer technology into care environments safely. Having real-time clinical information to support decisions at the point of care while also minimising the risk of infection, is a huge benefit to clinical staff and patients alike. To improve the quality of healthcare and staff workflow, it is vital to have accurate and up-to-date information at the point of decision, whether on a ward or in a surgical department.

"Our collaboration with Intel and Motion, in the only clinician usability and field trial within the NHS using the Motion C5 MCA, is a testament to our standing as a world-class provider of clinical applications such as i.CM."

Henry added: "This technology offers significant opportunities for iSOFT and its customers and we will continue to work with Intel and Motion in helping to develop this set of products. We remain committed to supporting our customers in the delivery of better healthcare through the combination of our leading software and technology from partners such as Motion and Intel."

iSOFT has a long-standing commitment to mobile technology. The company was selected as Microsoft's exclusive European software partner for the launch of its tablet PC in 2002.

Related news articles:

• iSOFT Group Limited's Profile

iSOFT is Europe's largest healthcare software applications company and also has a strong presence and experience in the Asia Pacific region. Its core strategic application, LORENZO, is at the forefront of the technology revolution taking place in healthcare globally. iSOFT products are used to manage patient information in more than 8,000 organisations in 27 countries. With annual revenues of £180 million, the company has offices in 12 countries and more than 3,000 employees, over 1,400 of whom are engaged in software development and design. Further information: http://www.isoftplc.com.