PDA Kiosk for Patient Data Transfer Resists Fire, Impact, Cleansers

DURHAM, NC—The SyncStationXM kiosk by MercuryMD, Inc. enables hospital clinicians to download patient data from a hospital’s information system onto their handheld device or PDA (personal digital assistant).

The 25-in high, 18-in wide, 9-in deep kiosk weighs 18-lb. It carries a UL Std. 94 V-0 fire rating and is said to resist harsh cleansers with no staining or fading, and withstand high impact associated high traffic hospital environments and frequent insertion/removal of handheld devices.

“Infrared immersion pockets,” molded four-up and solvent-welded to the interior surface of the front panel, accommodate four PDAs and are angled for easy retrieval and viewing of the devices.

SyncStationXM kiosk enables hospital caregivers to download data to handheld PDAs (personal digital assistants) via MercuryMD’s MData™ Enterprise System. Front and rear panels, and recessed pockets are pressure formed of KYDEX® T thermoplastic sheet.

Thermoplastic Sheet Provides Broad Fire Resistance
The front and rear components of the enclosure are pressure formed of KYDEX® T thermoplastic sheet in 0.187-in and 0.250-in thickness respectively. The heavier gauge sheet was specified to net wall thicknesses in deep drawn corners that exceed .028", the minimum gauge rated to UL Std. 94 V-0. Fire-rated ABS, also considered, was rated to UL Std. 94 V-0 in minimum thickness of 0.062-in.

In addition to carrying a broader fire retardancy rating, KYDEX sheet maintains a more uniform wall thickness than FR ABS, according to Stan Coe, Coe Design Industries, Raleigh, NC, (www.coe-design.com).

The sheet exhibits impact resistance of 15 ft-lbs/in (ASTM D-256), tensile strength of 6100 psi (ASTM D-638), and Rockwell hardness of 94 [R scale] (ASTM D-785), and resists repeated cleaning with harsh chemicals with no stain or fading, according to Coe.

The sheet is specified in "snowflake" color with "velour matte" surface texture. Thermoformer PMW Products, Inc., Raleigh, NC, (www.pmwproducts.com) enhances the texture by sandblasting the mold, achieving a suede-like finish that aids in camouflaging scratches or gouges resulting from severe impact.

PMW Products pressure-forms the front, rear and pocket components on a four-station rotary twin-sheet thermoforming machine using cast aluminum molds with integral stainless steel tubes for water cooling, ensuring constant mold temperature and part uniformity. Molded components are trimmed robotically.

Sends/Receives on Infrared Signals
An infrared transceiver affixed behind each pocket transmits signals through an internal network switch to/from PDAs and MercuryMD’s MDataä Enterprise System. The kiosk’s interior surfaces are sprayed with a copper-containing coating that shields electronic components from electromagnetic interference. The pockets are lined with die-cut pressure sensitive black rubber sheet to contain infrared signals and cushion the PDAs.

Net wall thickness of SyncStationXM rear-panel, deep-drawn corners exceeds .028", meeting UL Std. 94 V-0 requirements. Offset touch points assure breathing room when the unit is wall mounted.

Improved Design over Earlier Unit
Coe says, “The new SyncStation kiosk offers a more reliable infrared interface, easier PDA positioning and improved ergonomics over an earlier unit. The main challenge was to optically isolate concurrently active infrared data streams.”

The earlier enclosure consisted of a vacuum thermoformed ABS cover placed over the electronics’ metal housing. The new unit, containing four transceiver boards and one eight-port network switch, is expandable to eight PDA pockets by adding an expansion module. It is compatible with handheld devices of manufacturers/brands of PDAs including Compaq, Handspring, Hewlett Packard, Kyocera, Samsung, Sony, Toshiba, Palm.

MercuryMD, Inc. (www.mercurymd.com) was founded in 2000 by two surgeons who had become frustrated by inaccurate patient data and manual gathering of information in hospitals. From these origins, MercuryMD developed the MData Enterprise System. MData delivers patient data -- medications, diagnostic reports, lab results, and other clinical information, which is typically transcribed from hand written notes, to clinicians’ handheld devices.