Building the Ideal Healthcare System—
Criteria for selecting perfect-fitting industrial computers for medical applications

The use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) to increase the effectiveness of medical care and decrease costs has become an important operational policy in the medical industry today. Looking at current developments, the healthcare service application models derived from the integration of ICT are quite diverse and can roughly be divided into three types. The first is medical electronics, which is the embedding of computing and communication technologies in traditional medical devices, thereby equipping them with digitized functions, which also allows them to offer smart services. The second type takes these functions and places them on the Internet. The third type uses ICT technology to increase the quality and speed of medical care.

Certification is the top priority

From this perspective, ICT medical applications have resulted in many business opportunities and because of this, many industrial computer manufacturers have invested in them to various degrees. That, coupled with the fact that Taiwan boasts an advanced ICT industry with various hardware suppliers that are on par with one another as far as technological advancement, means that systems integrators are faced with numerous types of products with similar specifications and technologies, forcing them to find a suitable product from an overwhelming selection. MSI’s IPC division, equipped with years of experience in healthcare products, has a few recommendations to help systems integrators in their search for ICT products.

The first has to do with certification. Since the medical industry has a direct impact on human health, it must place more emphasis than other industries on equipment safety. Regulations require a certain degree of certification, so having passed certification is the first priority when system integrators are purchasing equipment.

MSI takes its MS-9A14 that has been applied in healthcare field for example, U L60950-1, U L60601-1-1, UL60601-1-2, FCC Class B, CE, VCCI Class B, and AS-3548 EMC are just a few certification standards that must meet for use in the medical field. In addition, a minimum of IP65 is required for protection against water and dust.

For most ICT manufacturers, the IP65 requirement for protection against dust and water is a tougher challenge. Medical institutions require IP65 primarily for cleaning and disinfection considerations, which requires equipment casings to be able to stand up to frequent cleansing with alcohol. Seamless designs or the use of rubber at the seams helps to protect the inner components during cleaning. This is especially important for medical computers placed in infectious wards and operating rooms. Panels must employ antibacterial materials in order to prevent bacterial growth.

UL 60601 is a safety testing standard for EMC in medical equipment. When applying for CE/FCC, not only must the EU’s ISO 13485 certification standards be met, they must meet Class B level. This is the first hurdle that hardware manufacturers must overcome when entering the medical field.

In addition, the FCC has stringent certification standards and all the aforementioned requirements must be met before even applying. Generally, during the certification phase, companies must have employees or departments who are assigned these tasks. Of course the situation for each manufacturer is different, but generally it takes several months to a year, requiring huge costs in terms of personnel, materials, finances, and time.

Compatibility and Expandability

If the first key point is certification standards, the second is integration with existing systems. Medical institutions today have other electronic equipment, such as Electronic Patient Records and Picture Archiving and Communication Systems. A very important consideration for hospitals when selecting new systems is whether or not their databases will be able to communicate and be compatible with the old systems.

This is because old systems are usually already in place. Nobody is going to make extensive modifications just to accommodate a new system, so the new system must be compatible with the old one. When working with hospitals, systems integrators must first become familiar with the existing hardware and software specifications and use this knowledge to select suitable products. While the new system must be compatible with the existing system, it is also necessary to consider future expansion when installing the new system, avoiding obscure standards as much as possible in order to simplify future expansion.

In addition to certification and compatibility, MSI points out that the stability and guaranteed long-term supply of our industrial computer products allows systems integrators to be an integral part of the purchasing process. The integration of newly-purchased systems into medical equipment makes stability a patient safety issue, so computer crashes must not be allowed to happen. With long-term stable operation as the top priority, medical systems often employ fanless, anti-vibration, and dustproof designs.

In regard to guaranteed long-term supply, MSI would like to point out that since no one in the medical industry replaces entire systems each year, medical products must be more durable and longer-lasting than ordinary electronics. With longer-lasting products, manufacturers must also supply long-term maintenance and component replacement services and communicate with customers in the event of any changes.

Specialized models for specialized needs

It is obvious that there are special requirements placed on equipment used in the medical field. However, some systems integrators might wonder if specialized equipment is necessary when ordinary consumer products can accomplish the same thing. In response, MSI points out that while specialized ICT products with fanless, anti-vibration, antibacterial, and waterproofing capabilities may be much more expensive, the features of most consumer electronics do not meet the requirements for use in the medical field.

For example, in the early years of mobile medicine, many healthcare providers were indeed using business computers, especially notebooks. But after a few years these business computers began to experience various degrees of problems, because they weren’t designed specifically for use in the medical field, opening the door for computers that were.

Finally, MSI would like to point out that the benefits that ICT brings to the medical industry include lower operational costs, increased healthcare quality, and more business opportunities for treatment outside hospitals. Currently, there are no global standards for the term “medical electronics.” In the past, “medical electronics” mainly meant electronics used in the medical field, and as the technology becomes more complicated and extensive, the scope covered by the term has expanded and has become more difficult to clearly define. Consequently, it is difficult for systems integrators to know what to do when faced with the numerous products on the market. But if they consider the above recommendations, it will be easier to find equipment suited to their clients’ needs.