Best practice in battery handling

Many professional work tools are today battery powered. On the one hand the battery is considered a low-tech component that should just work. On the other hand, a battery is a complex electro-chemical component which is part of a product/system and is not allowed to fail under any circumstances if the tool supports a mission critical process.

Expected lifetime of a battery
Most chargeable batteries, no matter the manufacturer, are designed for a lifetime of 400 full charging cycles. A full charging cycle is defined as starting from a fully charged battery, discharge to an empty battery, and then recharge to 100% again. If a battery is only half-empty when charging the battery, it counts as half a charging cycle.

Benefits of using original battery and charger for your products
A product is developed and designed to be used together with a battery and a charger from the same manufacturer. The handset, its battery and the corresponding charger are considered to be one system from power supply perspective. Replacing one part of this system (i.e., the charger or the battery) will break the dependencies in the system.

Using a third-party charger may risk charging the battery with too high a current, which will stress the battery and shorten its lifetime. Using a third-party battery in the product may be a security risk if the battery is not designed and produced properly.
It is possible to find third-party batteries on the market with a higher capacity than the original battery, but it may be at a cost of reduced quality performance or a higher risk of over-heated batteries.  To take greater care of your product, always use batteries from the original manufacturer of the product.

Battery fleet management for professional customers
Professional users have higher demands for a functioning handset compared to private users. For example, when taking a phone from a charger when starting the work day, the user expects the work tool to be usable throughout the work day, every day. For a heavily used handset, the battery needs to be replaced every 6 months, which makes it necessary to have a workflow for replacing the battery efficiently. The most cost-efficient method for all professional users is to regularly replace all batteries simultaneously on site. The frequency of replacement is based on the usage pattern of the product.
Many products for professional use come with user-replaceable battery, which makes it possible to easily use the handset 24/7, and charge the battery in a separate battery pack charger. For a heavily used handset, it is recommended to purchase one spare battery for each handset to always have a fully charged battery at hand. Office users need 10-60% additional batteries to cover their need for a fully charged battery.  ICT (Information and Communication Technology) providers also usually offer services to take care of the investment a professional customer has made. Preventive maintenance once a year, a service desk to call to fix problems and repair services for products are normally the basic level required to keep an investment in top shape. Some providers also regularly replace and properly recycle the complete set of batteries as part of their service offering.

Tip - Keeping a few extra fully-charged batteries in each ward or office facility is a low price to pay, compared to the impact of a non-functioning tool which disturbs mission critical processes.

Batteries in repair flow
Between 5 and 15 per cent of all products sent in for repair are found to be fully functioning after screening. Some of these products will only need a new battery to work flawlessly again.
By keeping a few spare batteries on site it is easy to detect the problem before it is sent in for repair, and the customer avoids downtime and costs.

Ascom’s battery-powered products and corresponding services
Ascom is a Healthcare ICT provider, designing high quality products primarily for the Healthcare market. The products are designed to work flawlessly in situations where a faulty product may result in critical failure in the patient care process. Ascom provides services to keep products working in all situations, and can also assist in setting up workflows to support the primary customer processes in the most efficient way.

Ascom has over 50 years of experience designing battery-powered products for professional users in mission critical environments such as hospitals, prisons, industry and retail. We have assembled a knowledge base over the years to provide the services required for efficient battery fleet management for our customers.

Wyndham clinic private hospital receive their first Ascom Myco

Within today’s healthcare market when we use the word “mobility”, we are referring to the countless wireless technologies that enable us to communicate, locate and receive information while moving throughout the facility.

As mobile technologies support smarter access to information, to both seek data and receive alarms/alerts, healthcare professionals can access information from wherever they are, instead of going to the source of the information. So rather than spending their time chasing information, and trying to monitor lots of static information points i.e. screens at the nurse’s station and annunciator panels, by using assisted technologies carers can invest their time with the patient at the point-of-care where it is maximised.

Understanding the benefits that assisted technologies can bring to the healthcare environment, Wyndham clinic private hospital have requested Ascom Myco to trial within their facility. The Ascom Myco is a truly “purpose-built Smart device” designed with focus on caregivers.

The Myco is designed to be worn clipped to scrubs, in pockets, or on the waist. The top-display is specifically integrated into Myco to help caregivers to view the type, severity and location of alarm without having to even touch the phone, to unlock it and then look at the screen. With features such as the patient-centric user interface which sits on-top of the standard Android interface, assists the nurse by only showing the filtered critical alarms and alerts for their area of responsibility – in a bed or patient status mode.

If you wish to find out more about the Ascom Myco contact 02 9698 9000 or www.ascommyco.com

Ascom announces Blue Force as primary service partner for Western Australia

SYDNEY, Australia, October, 2015 – Ascom is delighted to announce the appointment of Blue Force as our primary service partner for Western Australia (WA).

Blue Force is a significant player in the security integration market in WA with an established track record in the Government and Healthcare sectors. With over 40 WA-based staff, a dedicated and experienced management team, and considerable Ascom technical expertise, Blue Force is the perfect partner for Ascom in WA.

Blue Force is responsible for taking the entire Ascom solutions portfolio to market in WA, including Ascom’s Nursecall, Mobility and Applications product suites.

“We are extremely excited to work with Dale and his team at Blue Force,” says Ascom Managing Director Leo Silver. “With their vision, dedication and focus, we expect to significantly grow Ascom’s market share in WA“.

Commenting on the announcement, Blue Force Managing Director Dale Lofts says: “Our partnership with Ascom will provide us with the opportunity to bring world-class systems and services into WA. This, combined with our local support will be the key to the future development of our company and grow our mutual business opportunities”.

For more information visit www.ascom.com/ws or contact:
Adam Jaffe, Marketing Communications Manager, Ascom Integrated Wireless
Phone: +61 411 830 568
Email: adam.jaffe@ascom.com

Macquarie Telecom: Securing the Future of Aged Care Roadshow Recap

Last week, Ascom was invited to be part of a round table discussion on Securing the Future of Aged Care in Brisbane, Perth, Sydney & Melbourne.  

The conference featured industry experts Bruce Bailey - Partner / Director at RSM Bird Cameron and our very own Feargal O’Farrell – Sales and Marketing Director at Ascom Integrated Wireless.

With the impact of the ageing Australian population and the growing need for residential care, it will contribute to significant growth and change within the industry.

Key topics were discussed:

•            The Factors influencing aged care financial performance

•            Cost vs Benefit for assistive technologies

•            How to reduce your TCO for telecommunications.

We would like to thank Macquarie Telecom for inviting us to be part of this great discussion.

Addressing workplace safety challenges with Mobile duress

The purpose of a mobile duress solution is to safeguard individuals from personal harm, by enabling the worker with the ability to send out an instant alert to relevant personnel.  These instances may occur when the member of staff considers themselves in danger, needs instant assistance, or a broader emergency event is looming.

Many health services across the state deal with hostile patients who require special care and recognise at times some patients present with behaviour that may be very challenging and bring risk to staff. There is no industry immune to an emergency situation occurring, a duress system can be assumed as a critical component of any security system.

Ascom believe EGIS wide area duress solution will help further protect employees

Key features include:

• Comprehensive GPS (tracking) & 3G (cellular) true lone worker device
• Tough robust construction        

• 2 battery models (24 hr and 72 Hr)

• Can send SMS, voice and can be interfaced with tracking server system

      To learn more contact us today on +61 02 9698 9000 

Technology transforming the way we work

The role of a nurse is forever changing as caring for the sick is becoming more complicated. Recent studies have outlined that clinicians spend a lot of their time looking for information, instead of spending time at the patient’s bedside.

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It is clear that some tools are unquestionably having an impact on improving the way we work. Within a hospital environment these technological developments can help aide our clinicians to be more mobile and retrieve information on the go, rather them looking for the information.

A topical example is the barcode technology that can be used as patient identification, drug identification and medical management. Barcode based systems can help improve the accuracy of records, management of medication and availability of reliable information at the point of care. Which in turn can minimise errors and enhances the overall safety of care.

While technology cannot replace clinical skills and decision making, some innovations like the barcode technology can help make healthcare safer and simpler. 

Nurse Call solution enabling proficient workflows enters the Australian market

Last week, Ascom officially released its North American product, the Ascom Telligence Nurse Call system in Australia and New Zealand.

Ascom believes that Nurse Call systems in today’s healthcare environment needs to be able to deliver communication solutions that are cost-effective, superiority patient care and process efficient.

The unique platform seamlessly integrates with a variety of healthcare applications including medical equipment and real time location systems for optimal caregiver workflows.  

Telligence empowers clinicians with the right tools to bring the right information to the right staff at the right time. 

For more information on Ascom Telligence Nurse Call system please call 02-9698 9000 or email au-marketing@ascom.com