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PPV: Watch where you park your wheeled computers

EHR Connection, May 28, 2007

Battery-powered, portable computers--some hospitals are now in the habit of calling them workstations on wheels (WOW)--help facilitate electronic patient charting. They represent the cutting edge of wireless technology, giving everyone in the building access to real-time updates on patient conditions.

They also pose a dilemma for safety officers: WOWs need to be accessible to clinicians at a moment's notice. The computers also must charge at wall outlets when they're off duty.

That last point runs head-on into regulations if the WOWs charge in exit corridors, because they're big enough to violate fire codes and Joint Commission standards governing egress.

Click here to read where to store portable computers and how to make sure your policy protects you. Subscribers to Electronic Health Records Briefing can sign on for free access.

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