Resthaven Incorporated, an aged care provider, implemented the AutumnCare clinical management system and mobile devices running Intel technologies to improve care documentation and access to information. The paper-based systems were inefficient and inconsistent across locations. AutumnCare standardized processes and mobile access through wireless LANs allows nurses to update information at the bedside. This saves documentation time for direct resident care and improves real-time information sharing between shifts.

1. Case Study Mobilizing for Better Aged Care
Intel® Centrino® Mobile Intel® Centrino® mobile technology and Intel® Xeon® processors,
Technology
supported by Microsoft technologies and AutumnCare™ solutions,
Intel® Xeon® Processor
Healthcare
make Resthaven’s paperless upgrade even more beneficial
Mobile Point of Care Like most aged care providers, Resthaven Incorporated had used paper-based administrative
systems since it was founded, in this case back in 1935. However, after deciding to adopt the
AutumnCare™ clinical system and using wireless LAN (WLAN) and Intel® architecture-based
mobile devices to extend it to the bedside, Resthaven’s employees will be working more
efficiently and providing better care than ever.
Resthaven
Incorporated Challenge • Paper is inefficient. With 100 residents in a typical site,
paper-based care records were consuming inordinate amounts
of time that could be better utilized for resident care.
• Inconsistency costs. Over time, each facility in Resthaven’s
network had developed some of its own forms, making overall
visibility of organizational performance quite difficult.
“With a minimum 70
• Improve information access. Traditional congestion points in
people being cared aged care facilities needed to be opened so nurses could access
for in each facility, and update relevant information on the spot—not while filling out
a lot of things can forms hours later.
happen. With WLAN
Solution • Introduce electronic care. Implementation of the AutumnCare
technology and our Connect clinical system has provided a single solution for tracking
staff carrying a care needs of residents across its nine residential sites and related
device with them, community service programs.
it’s a lot easier to • Go mobile. Having good information is one thing, but getting it
when you need it is another. Resthaven’s AutumnCare™ rollout has
note something
been complemented with Intel architecture-based PDAs and tablet
down while they’re PCs that put the right information at nurses’ fingertips.
at the bedside than • Cut the cord. Wireless LANs, currently being rolled out
having to sit down throughout the Resthaven facilities, will let nurses access
at the day’s end information systems from residents’ rooms to provide more
accurate and immediate record keeping.
and think ‘what
did I do today?’”
Wayne Lang
Executive Manager,
Corporate Services
Resthaven Incorporated

2. Intel® architecture–based mobile devices gave Resthaven
architecture-based
Incorporated employees new ways to access consistent,
invaluable clinical care information
Assessing the Situation “And, of course, most of the information is written
Founded in 1935, Resthaven Incorporated is a public down from memory by a person after they get back
benevolent aged care community service of the into the office and have to consider what they did
Uniting Church in Australia with more than 1,250 for whom, and write down their notes. There’s
employees and 450 volunteers, and operates nine scope for error in that process, and we recognized
residential care facilities and numerous community that if we could save time on the floor doing
services across South Australia. documentation, that time saved goes back into
direct care of the residents we were looking after.”
Since its founding, Resthaven had relied upon
frequently changing paper-based systems that often Mobile access to the information systems was a
varied from site to site. Employees, already kept busy key criterion during the product evaluation phase,
throughout the day with their considerable care since Resthaven recognized early on that the
commitments, were spending inordinate amounts of systems would benefit from allowing staff to enter
time filling out paperwork to record daily care for the care information as quickly as possible during their
more than 70 residents in each Resthaven location. daily movements. These devices would, it was
“People find it faster
assumed from the start, require wireless LAN (WLAN)
Several years ago, Resthaven’s executives to have all the
connectivity to ensure seamless access throughout
recognized the need to introduce an electronic care
the Resthaven facilities. documentation
plan that would improve consistency of service
they need available
delivery across locations, as well as reducing the The company eventually chose to base its project
around a number of different mobile devices as well in one place. You
administrative burden on employees. “The paper
system served us well for a long time, but it doesn’t as AutumnCare™’s software suite, a comprehensive can’t overestimate
make it easy to share information from hand-written clinical care management application designed for the time involved
notes,” says Wayne Lang, executive manager, the needs of aged care facilities. Not only would the
in trawling back
Corporate Services, Resthaven Incorporated. new application improve access to information, but
through paper
it was seen as offering direct benefits to the
workplace in a number of ways. files looking for
information. Now,
Spotlight: Resthaven Incorporated “Recognizing that what is written about care is just
as important as the actual care given. This is an it doesn't matter if
• Founded in 1935, Resthaven is a public important concept for driving quality aged care. someone is working
benevolent aged care community service Using IT to support this documentation process is on a resident's file
of the Uniting Church in Australia. not only faster, but information is easier to retrieve
in another office,
and more readily used for planning, monitoring trends
• Employs over 1,250 workers and enlists the help as the files can be
and analyzing incidents,” says Wendy Morey, senior
of 450 volunteers across South Australia.
manager, Clinical Services, Resthaven Incorporated. shared and multiple
• Among Australia’s largest aged care providers. “Registered nurses are key players in terms of documents can be
ensuring high quality clinical practice in aged care, open at any one time;
• Over 940 residents, with an average age of 86
and with reducing numbers overall, it is important
years, are cared for in Resthaven nursing home you just flick it back
that this initiative be an integral part of improving
and hostel facilities. and forth as needed.”
efficiencies for them in their daily work, empowering
• Recognized need for electronic care planning them in their decision making roles and freeing them Wendy Morey
early on. Senior Manager,
to spend more time doing the important nursing
Clinical Services
work they are educated to do.” Resthaven Incorporated

3. Delivering the Solution into another important document; all offer
Successful implementation of AutumnCare™’s significant benefits.”
clinical management system across Resthaven’s
As originally envisioned, the application rollout
sites will open up new opportunities for
has been accompanied by a concerted effort
information and knowledge management as the
to mobilize the workforce’s access to the
technology becomes better entrenched.
core AutumnCare™ system. WLAN connectivity
Among the immediate benefits of the system has been crucial in making this happen.
“A key benefit is the efficiency that comes from having a
Although they initially imagined employees
more consistent workflow based on single
we saw in this using primarily tablet PCs to wirelessly access
instances of care forms and assessments
scenario was the network, Resthaven executives have since
across the entire organization. This not only
expanded the scope of the project to include
the occasionally eases the reporting burden for employees,
Intel® XScale® technology-based PDAs and
connected scenario, but allows Resthaven management to 1
Intel® Centrino® mobile technology -based
so if an employee make meaningful comparisons of performance.
ultra-mobile PCs (UMPCs). UMPCs, in particular,
is offline or out “We’re trying to set up our forms so that are appealing middle ground when compared
of range, they can evidence-based practice prompts are embedded with small PDAs and larger tablet PCs.
within them as supports for nursing staff,” says
still enter the Ongoing use of AutumnCare™ to store
Morey. “The fact that document loss or misfiling
information into exceptions in care—rather than storing every bit
is now impossible; that information is available
of routine information as is required by
the device and at the tips of your fingers; and that you can
competing solutions—has allowed the company
resync when they have information jump from your assessment
to get a better sense of how its care provision
get back online.
And, since the
PDAs are fully Key Technologies Integral Answers
charged, if you get
• Pervasive wireless LAN in all sites will • AutumnCare™ worked closely with
a power failure you Resthaven to scope, tailor and implement
provide ubiquitous network access to
can still capture those who need it. its aged care solution across its core sites.
the information.”
• Intel® Centrino® mobile technology–powered • AutumnCare Connect is a clinical
Wayne Lang tablet PCs and ultra mobile PCs (UMPCs), management solution that automates
Executive Manager,
as well as Intel® XScale® processor powered assessments, care plans, notes, and
Corporate Services
Resthaven Incorporated PDAs, provide myriad options for staff to appointments and is available on any
access core critical care systems across Microsoft/Intel platform including mobile.
the sites. IQ
• AutumnCare Report is a powerful reporting
• Intel® Xeon® processor–based servers tool for extracting, graphing, and analyzing
provide back-end support for the clinical information to better aid decision making.
AutumnCare™ environment.
• AutumnCare Toolset provides the ability for
• AutumnCare™ utilizes the capabilities clients to control the system setup and
of Microsoft’s core technologies— .Net Web control over their system’s evolution.
Services, SQL Server™, Windows XP®,
• Microsoft Windows Server™ 2003,
Windows Server® 2003, Windows XP®
Windows® XP, Windows XP® Tablet PC
Tablet PC Edition, and Windows Mobile®
Edition, and Windows Mobile® operating
operating systems—to achieve a robust
systems support a range of devices that
and pervasive solution.
facilitate pervasive, mobile access to
AutumnCare™ systems.

4. and outcomes are performing, via analysis of care issues which merit further
attention, without being buried in irrelevant details. Return on Investment
Better information will also enable far smoother handover between shifts • A comprehensive electronic aged care system
than in the past. When nurses finish their shifts, they have to update their has undone the inefficiency of paper with a
replacements about the various issues currently being dealt with in the facility. centralized, consistent information system
Having all that information available in AutumnCare™ will shorten handover for tracking exceptions in client care across
time as the key information is so easily accessible. Resthaven’s nine residential care locations.
“Traditionally nurses have used the nurses’ station to document and • Care decisions can be made faster and more
exchange information, but a mobile solution allows them to manage intelligently, with robust reporting helping
information wherever they are,” says Morey. “Paper charts will ultimately Resthaven track its performance over time.
be replaced by the PDA or any other mobile device. There is a great advantage • Mobile devices, including tablet PCs and
to a physiotherapist in the resident’s room doing an assessment, going through ultra-mobile PCs (UMPCs) running Intel®
exercises, and being able to jot notes directly onto the tablet PC.” Centrino® mobile technology as well as Intel®
With resident care data centralized, Resthaven is already considering how XScale® processor-based PDAs, provide
else its new mobilized information system can help it move forward. One access to care systems via wireless LAN
planned capability is to extend the AutumnCare™ system into the field for use from anywhere on site.
by Resthaven’s more than 300 mobile support workers, who will eventually use • Time saved in administration can be spent on
wireless broadband to access the system while visiting clients in their homes. resident care instead—helping Resthaven
continually improve the quality of the
Third-Party Solutions services it’s delivering.
IQ
· AutumnCare Connect · AutumnCare Report
· AutumnCare Toolset · Microsoft Windows XP®
· Microsoft Windows Server® 2003 · Microsoft SQL Server™
· Microsoft Windows XP® Tablet PC Edition
· Microsoft Windows Mobile® operating system
Find a business solution that is right for your company.
Contact your Intel representative, visit the Intel®
Business/Enterprise Web site at: intel.com/business
or visit the industry solutions-specific sites at: intel.com/healthcare.
Solution provided by:
Copyright 2006 Intel Corporation. All rights reserved. Intel, the Intel logo, Intel. Leap ahead., Intel. Leap ahead. logo,
Intel Centrino, the Intel Centrino logo, Intel Xeon, and Xeon Inside are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel
Corporation and its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries.
This document is for informational purposes only. INTEL MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS DOCUMENT.
1
Wireless connectivity and some features may require you to purchase additional software, services, or external
hardware. Availability of public wireless LAN access points is limited, wireless functionality may vary by country, and
some hotspots may not support Intel® Centrino® mobile technology-based systems using Linux*. System performance
measured by MobileMark* 2002. System performance, battery life, wireless performance, and functionality will vary
depending on your specific operating system, hardware, and software configurations. See
http://www.intel.com/products/centrino/more_info for more information.
*Other names and brands may be the property of their respective owners. 1206/AUL/XIC/XX/PDF 315805-001US