Development of an affordable, standardized, laptop/portable computer based Home Health Care Intelligent Portable (HIP) Workstation system will optimize delivery of home health care by providing direct communications and patient information exchange among home health care providers in numerous outpatient and home care service environments. Although use of personal-, mini-, and mainframe-computer networks within primary care facilities is wide-spread, the need exists to develop a standard, easy to use, functional portable workstation carried by the home health care provider to the patient's """"""""bedside"""""""" in order to review and record medical data which then may be used to generate (and regenerate) paper reports and forms at the user's office, eliminating patient record loss and easing the workload of the home health care professional. Medical information from eight to sixteen portable workstations can be simultaneously exchanged via modem/RS-232 from/to a global desktop computer based HIP patient information management system (IMS) controller located at the provider's service facility. The HIP controller will operate as an independent unit or in a network with a hospital patient IMS. The HIP system permits a flow of confidential and secure patient records, medication/treatment orders, compliance reports, and observations among home health care providers and their affiliates in various service settings which may be located city-, state-, and nation-wide. During Phase I, the software design for a functional HIP workstation system will be completed and prototype HIP workstation software developed. During Phase II, complete HIP workstation/controller/network software will be implemented and evaluated during alpha/beta testing at several home health care service facilities.
