Using wireless measuring devices and Tablet PC to improve the efficiency of vital signs data collection in hospital

In order to improve the way of data collection and workflow of vital signs measurement in hospital, this paper proposed a Tablet PC based vital signs data collection and information system. This system comprises a database server, Tablet PC, and wireless devices such as blood pressure monitor, infrared thermometer and barcode scanner. The Tablet PC and wireless devices are put on a cart to serve as a mobile nursing information system unit. All of the devices have Bluetooth interface, therefore they can communicate with the Tablet PC via Bluetooth. Moreover, the designed user interface on Tablet PC can inspect patients´ information and upload the collected vital signs data to a database server via wireless local area network (WLAN). The system has a pilot trial in hospital, and the results show the system can reduce the time of data transcription. Besides, the benefits of this system are also including: (1) eliminating the error rate caused by hand written, (2) providing real-time vital signs data recording and access, (3) speeding up the overall process of nursing documentation.