Wireless Applications Now Available on Samsung Devices to Help Improve Patient Care

Wireless Applications Now Available on Samsung Devices to Help Improve Patient Care

Offerings Enable Physicians, Medical Residents to Decrease Errors, Access Essential Information

DALLAS, Nov. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung) today announced a mobile solutions package that gives medical professionals access to critical data for diagnosing and treating patients without leaving the bedside or examining room. By combining Samsung's wireless handsets with healthcare technology applications, the offering is designed to help healthcare professionals deliver better and more efficient patient care.

Content and diagnostic resources such as drug references and clinical journals from Mobile MerckMedicus, Skyscape, and UpToDate are now accessible with the Samsung award-winning Mobile Intelligent Terminal (MITs) devices(1), the PalmSource OS(R)-based i500 and Microsoft(R) Windows Mobile(TM)-based i700 Pocket PC Phone. As part of an introductory promotional offer for healthcare professionals, trial versions of these medical applications will be made available with the Samsung i500 and i700 devices. Both the i500 and i700 are fully integrated wireless phones with personal digital assistant (PDA) functionality and Internet access.

Mobile MerckMedicus for your PDA provides access to useful resources such as The Merck Manual, 17th Edition, Pocket Guide to Diagnostic Tests, MEDLINE journal abstracts, Reuters Medical News, and a personal search assistant. Also offered on the handset is a trial application of Skyscape Constellation for Samsung Phones, an intuitive, all-in-one healthcare decision support solution, providing comprehensive coverage of critical information about drugs, diseases, interactions, lab information and treatment options. Completing the offer is a trial version of UpToDate, a subscription-based clinical information resource created by a community of 3,000 expert clinicians to provide physicians with answers to clinical questions that arise at the point of care.

"Long hours, rising malpractice insurance, constantly updated studies and clinical data are just a few of the issues that can overwhelm doctors and healthcare workers today," said Dr. Edward M. Zabrek, a noted advocate for the use of wireless technology in healthcare settings and medical advisor for Samsung.

"As a physician with a busy private obstetrics and gynecology practice, having wireless access to information such as drug interactions, the latest journal abstracts, and clinical diagnostic information, along with a tool that allows me to earn my continuing medical education (CME) requirements, is essential to me, and to the health of my patients," Zabrek added.

According to the Institute of Medicine, each year tens of thousands of deaths and injuries are caused by medical mistakes that could be decreased by the widespread deployment of information technology (IT).(2) Further, International Pediatrics notes that the bedside use of PDAs, equipped with relevant, reliable, real-time drug, medical reference and calculator software can help reduce the prevalence of medical errors.(3)

"Our wireless handsets, with industry specific software, can be used effectively and efficiently in the healthcare environment," said Peter Skarzynski, senior vice president of Samsung's wireless terminals division. "Now professionals in the medical community can consolidate to one converged device that serves both as a wireless phone and a PDA with access to critical and relevant medical data."

The adoption of wireless technology by physicians is projected to continue increasing. According to Gartner Research, PDAs will be used by 50 percent of the physician community this year and grow to more than 75 percent in 2007(4). Also, the American Medical Student Association notes that having a PDA during a resident's clinical years is "now regarded to be nearly as essential as owning a stethoscope."(5)

Samsung devices are available via the Web site http://www.samsungwireless.com/medical .

About Samsung Mobile Enterprise Solutions

As the world's third largest manufacturer of wireless handsets, Samsung is effectively leveraging its advanced Mobile Intelligent Terminal (MITs) devices -- the PalmSource OS(R)-based i500, the Microsoft(R) Windows Mobile(TM)-based i600 Smartphone and Microsoft(R) Windows Mobile(TM)-based i700 Pocket PC Phone -- as the ideal wireless platforms for corporations to extend their CRM, ERP, SCM and field maintenance applications to all users or selected workforce segments. Samsung's MITs devices also provide users with off-line access to information and full functionality even when they are not wirelessly connected.

About Samsung Telecommunications America

Samsung Telecommunications America, a Dallas-based subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Company, Ltd., researches, markets and distributes wireless handsets and telecommunications products throughout North America. For more information, see STA's website at http://www.samsungusa.com/wireless .

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2003 parent company sales of US$36.4 billion and net income of US$5.0 billion. Employing approximately 88,000 people in 89 offices in 46 countries, the company consists of six main business units: Corporate Technology Operations, Digital Appliance Business, Digital Media Business, LCD Business, Semiconductor Business and Telecommunication Network Business. Recognized as one of the fastest growing global brands, Samsung Electronics is the world's largest producer of color monitors, color TVs, memory chips, TFT-LCDs and VCRs.

(1) The i500 was named by Laptop, CNET and ZDNet for the Editor's Choice
awards and by Popular Science as the "Best of What's New." The i700
was awarded Pen Computing's Editor's Choice award and named "the
most advanced Pocket PC phone available." (2003)
(2) InformationWeek, 9/20/2004, "E-Health Revives Healthcare IT"
(3) International Pediatrics/Vol. 18/No. 2/2003
(4) Healthcare IT News, 6/2004, "Phones could dominate healthcare hand-
helds"
(5) American Medical Student Association Web site, 9/2004, "Basic
Questions"



Source: Samsung Telecommunications America

CONTACT: Teresa Fereday, +1-972-628-7524, or
teresa.fereday@publicis-usa.com , or Stephanie Stewart, +1-972-628-7787, or
stephanie.stewart@publicis-usa.com , both of Publicis Dialog, for Samsung
Telecommunications America

Web site: http://www.samsungwireless.com/medical
http://www.samsungusa.com/wireless


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