Medical i-pad Use For Veteran Outreach Grows; Keep i-pads Secure With Alpha Thunder Tags

As a military veteran myself and a concerned citizen who cares deeply for our combat veteran’s, I am very interested in the steps taken by our Veteran’s Administration hospitals to care for our wounded warriors. I believe these soldiers deserve the best possible care for treating both their physical wounds and their mental wounds. So, it was interesting for me find that V.A. hospitals are now using i-pads to help both physicians and V.A. social workers in assisting veterans. According to a July 22, 2014 story by Keith Gottschalk in pittsburgh.va.gov, the VA Pittsburgh Hospital received 600 i-pads that June. Some of the benefits for clinicians that were listed:

• Convenient access to real-time clinical information

• Mobile access to patient information throughout the medical center

• Easy access to medical tools at work, home and on the go

• Secure communication between patients and providers; and

• Improved access to patient-generated data

As the hospitals find the value of using such devices and increase their spending on them, there is a definite risk of i-pad theft or tablet theft. Making sure this does not happen should be a priority and using an Alpha Thunder Tag can decrease the chance of pilferage.

The Alpha Thunder Tag works with an electronic article surveillance antenna system.  When an antenna, such as a Checkpoint Classic N10 antenna is set up at a door, if a tagged device is carried into radio frequency range, an alarm in the antenna is set off. The loud, sharp, distinctive noise alerts employees that a tagged item is being carried out. Staff can verify that the person carrying the device has the authority to do so, or they can recover it from someone who is trying to steal it. Concern about possible tampering with the tag is alleviated due to the tamper proof nature of the Alpha Thunder Tag. If someone were to try to remove the tag, the tag alarms and like the Checkpoint Classic N10 antenna, staff can respond to the alarm and prevent a theft from occurring. 

Is i-pad theft or tablet theft a concern for V.A. hospitals? It can be, just as it is for any other agency that incorporates the devices into their operations. One example, found on the website va.gov, a reported theft on 7/29/2015, involved an employee who took VA issued hardware from a government vehicle and transferred it to her own car at the end of her shift. She then stopped at a store on the way home and someone broke into her car stealing VA issued equipment including an i-pad, cell phone and car key. In an article posed on May 27, 2014 in Denverpost.com, two VA hospital laptop computers were stolen from a lab.  My point is, mobile computing devices are a great addition to VA hospitals but do need to be secured.

I don’t want to lose sight of the benefits of mobile medical devices in VA hospitals. In another article in goerie.com, March 27, 2016, Gerry Weiss reported on a licensed social worker from the Erie Veterans Affairs Medical Center, who is meeting with combat veterans who are not comfortable around crowds or people they don’t know. Some of the veterans she is meeting with are homeless or living out of shelters.The story describes how the social worker uses a hospital i-pad to arrange meetings using Skype to arrange meetings between the veterans and behavioral health specialists. Such stories are encouraging, and demonstrate that even our homeless veterans have an opportunity to get assistance they might otherwise not receive. Computer tablets and i-pads are making these inroads possible.

Adding Checkpoint Classic N10 antennas at hospital entrances and placing an Alpha Thunder Tag on all medical mobile devices, can prevent i-pad theft at V.A. hospitals as well as other medical facilities. Preventing thieves from stealing property that adds so much richness to the treatment of patients must be a priority. Stealing anything that hinders a patient’s care should make us angry. Stealing devices that help our veterans is unconscionable.

Get more information on Alpha Thunder Tags, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.

Children’s Hospitals Using i-pads To Help Make Visits Easier: Alpha Thunder Tags Can Keep Devices Secure From Theft

What is scary to a child, monsters under the bed or in a closet? How about the first day in a new school? Performing in a school play in front of an audience? As a father of three children, I can tell you that a trip to the emergency room is scary, both for the parent AND the child. Removing fear for a child isn’t always easy and it can be even more difficult when the trip is to an emergency room for treatment. It may be an x-ray for a broken arm or the necessity of having stitches put in. I even had to take our son in once for a Styrofoam pellet that lodged in his ear (yup, true story). There can be any number of reasons to have to visit the emergency room but, with all of the doctors and nurses and people in the waiting room it can be frightening. Doctors and nurses have always had to find ways to distract young patients so they can administer tests and treatments. I know I had to hold my children still and try to talk to them so shots could be given, not a fun task since I knew it was hurting them (my wife always wound up being the good guy and hero for the rest of the day). Other distractions that are sometimes used by healthcare professionals are books, candy, and toys. Now, i-pads and computer tablets are being used to distract children during hospital visits to make trips a little easier. The trick for the medical providers is to ensure these medical devices don’t get lost or stolen. i-pad theft has been an issue in schools and from patient’s in hospitals so there is no reason to believe they could not be stolen from an emergency room or children’s hospital. One way to prevent this from happening is to use an Alpha Thunder Tag on tablets and i-pads and install Checkpoint Classic N10 antennas at entrances.

An Alpha Thunder Tag is attached to an i-pad or tablet by an adhesive backing on the tag itself. Tamper proof protection in the tag prevents it from being removed in an attempt to steal the mobile device. If someone tries to remove the tag an internal alarm in the Alpha Thunder Tag sounds a sharp, piercing alert that lets staff know a tag is being removed. When the Classic N10 antennas are installed at entrances and exits, they can pick up the radio frequency of a tag being carried into the range of the antennas. The antenna then sounds an alarm and built in LED lights flash.  Workers are able to respond and recover mobile devices in the event of an i-pad theft or tablet theft attempt.

So how are the i-pads and tablets being used for children in hospitals? In an article titled, “i-pads in the ER: Using Gadgets to Make a Hospital Trip Less Scary” in Sciencelife from the University of Chicago Medicine and Biological Sciences, August 13, 2012 by Matt Wood, quoting Chelsea Cress, MS, CCLS, a child life specialist from the Child Life and Family Education Department at the University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children’s Hospital; “We know that kids can use their imaginations to take them to a place that most grownups can’t,” she said. “Using the iPad really helps them cope with procedures better and forget about what’s happening at the hospital.” In an August 27, 2013 story on stonybrookchildren’s.org website, a story on a donation of four i-pads being donated to the Stony Brook Children’s Hospital by the Starlight Children’s Foundation states, “The tablets will serve more than 27,000 Tri-State area pediatric patients per year and meet the evolving needs of hospitals and children through education, distraction and the healing power of play.”

With i-pads and tablets playing such a critical part in the patient care of children, it is that much more important to take steps to protect these mobile devices. Installing the Classic N10 antennas and attaching an Alpha Thunder Tag to prevent tablet or i-pad theft will ensure the devices are available to young patients for years to come.

Get more information on Alpha Thunder Tags, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.

Tablets and i-pads In Nursing Homes Provide Memories – Keep Them Safe With Alpha Thunder Tags

The use of i-pads and tablets in medical practices has been growing at a rapid pace. Doctors are consulting each other using tablets, patient records are digitalized, and prescription crosschecks are a few of the benefits of mobile medical devices. Another area in the medical field where computer tablets and i-pads are proving to be useful is in the nursing home industry. Nursing home patients are finding new experiences open to them by using i-pads and tablets and medical apps are allowing them to monitor such things as blood sugar levels with a diabetes app. It is encouraging to see emerging technology improve the lives of older citizens. With the increased use of computer tablets and i-pads in assisted living and nursing homes, there also is a potential for tablet theft or i-pad theft. Alpha Thunder Tags and Classic N10 antennas can provide the necessary protection to keep the equipment in the home where it belongs.  

Whether the concern is about potential dishonest employee theft or visitors stealing i-pads and tablets, when Alpha Thunder Tags are applied to the devices the opportunity for theft is significantly reduced. Thunder Tags have an adhesive backing that secures them tightly to the item to be protected. A built in tamper alarm prevents someone from removing the tag without alerting staff that they are doing so. When Checkpoint Classic N10 antennas are set up at all entry and exit doors, any device with a tag on it will cause the antenna to alarm when the tag is too close. Alpha Thunder Tags are also a 3-alarm tag which means that if someone gets out a door protected by an antenna, an alarm built into the tag will sound a very loud alert. It’s hard to beat a protective device that has a tamper alarm, antenna activation and built in theft alarm.

So what is it that i-pads and tablets are doing to improve the quality of life for older men and women? As I mentioned above there are medical apps that are helping seniors to monitor their blood glucose levels. There are also new experiences for those who had not previously used computer tablets. On the website “My Better Nursing Home”, Dr. Eleanor Barbera points out the use of Pandora to give patients “access to their favorite music (for inspiration in Rehab, or to drown out the buzzers and overhead pages”. She mentions games being available to patients to help stay sharp.  On aplaceformom.com blog writer Dana Larsen points out other benefits of i-pads for memory care patients:

• They provide alternative means of communication for patients who can’t express themselves as they would like to

• Music libraries can trigger memories of their past

• They encourage socialization between residents through games, apps and internet search features

• Use of the i-pads provides a means for more communication with their children and grandchildren

• Emails and downloads of photos can be shared and are now pride of place in resident’s rooms.

I would add that while Ms. Larsen was specifically addressing i-pads, I would include tablets as fulfilling the same functions.

With so many functions and personal memories being saved on these electronic devices, it would truly be a shame for a resident to experience a tablet theft or i-pad theft.  Pictures and emails that make such a difference to a resident’s comfort should not be at risk of being stolen.  Protecting mobile devices with an anti-theft device only makes sense.

Nursing homes and assisted living residences should help to protect their vulnerable clients.  Adding Classic N10 antennas to all entry points and using Alpha Thunder Tags to prevent tablet theft and i-pad theft only makes sense. Provide patients and their families with peace of mind, and invest in anti-theft technology.

Need information on Alpha Thunder Tags?  Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.

See The Advantage Of Using Alpha Thunder Tags To Protect Mobile Devices In Medical Eye Care Practices

I have written about the proliferation of mobile devices being used in the medical field, but I find that I have probably only scratched the surface. It seems each medical specialty has mobile apps designed to assist doctors in that particular field. There are advantages that all practices can benefit from such as paperless record keeping, video consultations with patients, scan and x-ray viewing on a tablet or i-pad, etc. Just as there are shared advantages to using mobile devices there are shared concerns, primarily i-pad theft and tablet theft. Mobile medical devices can carry a large amount of information on patients and that does carry risk with it. Protecting patient data is obviously the responsibility of the medical practice and the staff.  The loss of a mobile device could lead to a breach that could compromise information and lead to fines and penalties. The Alpha Thunder Tag and Classic N10 electronic article surveillance antenna can provide the protection you need to keep patient records safe.

The Alpha Thunder Tag is an anti-theft device that can be attached to a tablet or i-pad. The tag has an adhesive that holds it in place and tamper protection that will alarm if someone attempts to remove the tag. Because it works with an EAS system, if someone were to attempt a tablet theft by walking out of your building carrying a mobile device protected with a tag, it would trip the alarm of an EAS antenna. Of course this also means a building would need to have EAS antennas installed at entrances to the office or clinic. 

As a side note, since I mentioned the need for EAS antennas at office or clinic entrances, you may be concerned about how much entry way space would be taken up by a system. The Checkpoint Classic N10 antenna has a very small space requirement. In fact, it was designed specifically with small retail stores in mind.  These stores cannot afford to lose valuable salesfloor space but need EAS protection. Checkpoint was able to respond with an antenna that has the effectiveness of larger units, but requires a fraction of the area. It soon became clear that the antennas would be able to be used anywhere that space could be an issue, such as clinics or hospitals. These are locations where patrons may need to be able to enter with wheelchairs, crutches, gurneys, etc. Patient mobility will not be impaired with the installation of the Classic N10.       

I previously indicated that medical specialties may have their own unique uses for mobile medical devices. One use which I had not considered previously was for Ophthalmologists and Opticians. In an article in Mhealthintelligence.com by Eric Wicklund, April 20, 2016, the author mentions a number of advantages for eye care doctors who take advantage of mobile technologies like smart phones and tablets:

• Video consults with hospitals and health systems

• Viewing and in some instances giving eye exams• Improving work flow as patient loads increase

• Setting up video communications platforms, permitting them to be called in as a consultant or specialist in an emergency

The author also points out that in 2014 a study was conducted at 13 neonatal intensive care units and published in JAMA Ophthalmology.  The study, “… found that telemedicine could be used to link small and remote hospitals to eye specialists who could analyze retinal images for retinopathy or prematurity (ROP), a leading cause of treatable blindness in newborns.”

With such amazing strides in the use of mobile technology, it only makes sense for an eye care practice to take advantage of incorporating i-pads and tablets into the daily operation.  Once purchased and ready for use, applying an Alpha Thunder Tag to each unit and installing a Classic N10 antenna at each entry point can prevent i-pad theft or tablet theft. 

Tablet theft is important and we can help you with it.  Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.