CSC has launched Patient in Your Pocket, a wireless application for BlackBerry smartphones that enables on-the-go healthcare professionals to more efficiently and effectively deliver quality patient care. Patient in Your Pocket equips mobile healthcare professionals with immediate, secure access to patient information whenever and wherever care is provided.

The solution integrates with clinical systems, enabling caregivers to retrieve current and accurate patient information, update patient data and conditions while care is being given, collaborate, and conduct administrative functions such as coordinating appointment schedules - all while away from the desktop.

In addition to Patient in Your Pocket for BlackBerry smartphones, the application for the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet will also be launched by CSC later this year.

"Patient in Your Pocket is also available in the UK and in the Middle East, and it has already proven to be valuable for mobile doctors, nurses and health workers delivering front-line care to patients," said Mark Roman, president, Global Healthcare Group, CSC.

"Healthcare is moving toward a continuum of care delivery and reimbursement model where many providers collaborate on each patient's care to ensure quality, safety and cost-effectiveness. With Patient in Your Pocket, CSC is broadening access for care providers regardless of their locations so that all who are involved in a patient's care are equipped with timely information when and where they need it to make better decisions and enhance patient care."

Caregivers today are increasingly on the move throughout their facilities and communities. According to the June 1, 2010, issue of CMIO Journal, 81 percent of clinicians will have a smartphone by the year 2012, and about half of these clinicians will use their devices for patient care.

Patient in Your Pocket allows care to be enhanced and go uninterrupted by providing real-time secure data anywhere. BlackBerry smartphones are already commonly used in the delivery of healthcare given their reliability and security.

All messages and data sent through BlackBerry Enterprise Server and stored on the smartphone can be encrypted and managed with advanced security features. Patient in Your Pocket is HIPAA-compliant and patient confidentiality is continually protected through multiple authentication techniques including a simplified PIN/passphrase, biometrics such as facial and voice recognition, and the use of GPS.

"Mobile technology has already been shown to be extremely helpful in improving healthcare delivery and making healthcare services more patient-centric," said Derek Peper, vice president, Global SI and Platform Alliances at Research In Motion (RIM).

"With CSC's strong expertise in healthcare information systems, along with the security and manageability of the BlackBerry platform, Patient in Your Pocket can play a vital role in further transforming the way healthcare professionals work and provide patient care."

Patient in Your Pocket facilitates information sharing and improved clinical collaboration across locations within both the community and hospitals for better care decisions.

Users can securely capture and send narratives, structured data or images from their BlackBerry smartphones for rapid advice to enhance patient care. They can also enter new data directly into their mobile devices either by dictating notes or filling in forms using a 'digital' pen. This ensures that mobile healthcare workers can do most of their record keeping accurately while at the point of care.

Patient in Your Pocket improves efficiency, collaboration, productivity and flexibility of caregivers by consolidating paging, text messaging, alerts and emails into one unified communications platform. The fully mobile solution also works with the phone, map, camera and calendar functions on a BlackBerry smartphone to create one easy-to-use application.

Patient in Your Pocket allows healthcare professionals to contact patients and team members, raise alerts, access appointment schedules, prepare for visits and update patient records while ensuring secure access to patient data.

Patient in Your Pocket also provides a layer of safety protection for healthcare professionals working alone. An activity monitoring system enables staff to register expected times for lone-working tasks with a call center. An alarm is raised if those activities exceed the expected duration without contact from the healthcare worker. This alarm is sent to trained operators who can assess the situation and engage the appropriate services.

CSC's Healthcare Group, which serves healthcare providers, health plans, pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers, and allied industries around the world, is a global leader in transforming the healthcare industry through the effective use of information to improve healthcare outcomes, decision-making and operating efficiency.