Clinical Tablet Mobility Team

One of the major stressors in many healthcare settings as we manage the COVID-19 pandemic is in the limited availability of personal protective equipment (PPE). In order to maintain communication with patients while minimizing risk to providers and reducing use of PPE, University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) has modified several iPads to be able to use Zoom to provide 24-hour communication between patients who have or are being evaluated for COVID-19. The program is growing rapidly and highly popular among hospital staff. The number of devices being requested is outpacing our ability to fulfill the requests. In order to ensure that these iPads are utilized effectively, in the areas in which they are most needed, and retrieved when no longer needed, we have established a Clinical Tablet Mobility Team. This team is responsible for delivering and deploying iPads to the areas in the hospital where they are needed, retrieving the devices once they are no longer needed, tracking device locations, and being available to answer user questions. Members of this team are NOT entering patient rooms and are only handling equipment that has been cleaned. The team is intended to be small (currently 15 students) to develop expertise in troubleshooting issues as they arise. This is a partnership between UMMC and the University of Maryland School of Medicine. The opportunity was open to all medical students.