A Growing Trend?
By Cyndi Laurenti
The rapidly evolving technological era has ushered a host of industries into the digital world, including the medical field. Health care professionals in private and public institutions and even masters and PhD programs are quickly learning the immense benefits of utilizing technology in their practices and this has specifically included the use of the tablet computer.
Convenience and Mobility
In addition to the convenience tablets offer in size and mobility, more and more production companies are creating interfaces and programs specifically geared towards the healthcare industry and the tablet computer makes them more accessible and dynamic than the traditional clipboard. This is crucial in an industry where time is of the essence and life-changing decisions are made from moment to moment. Having a tablet computer puts the latest resources and tools in doctors and other health care professionals’ hands so they can make decisions efficiently.
Brand Neutral?
Although Tablet computers tend to be associated with the most popular brands like the iPad by Apple, a recent survey of 178 doctors indicated that even though the healthcare industry wants a tablet, it may not necessarily want the iPad in particular which does not have all the applications they require.
A whole industry of tablets has been specifically designed to meet the medical field’s particular needs, one example being the motion computing tablet PC. The West Clinic in Memphis which was founded by Supportive Oncology Services (SOS) and which caters for over 10,000 patients found that the motion computing tablet computer enabled them not only to streamline information between patients and physicians, but that it also lead to an improved quality of care and life for their patients and increased efficiency for their caregivers.
Other Healthcare Early Adopters
Another facility that adapted the use of tablet computers is the Lancaster General Hospital in Lancaster, PA, which has been rated as one of the top 100 hospitals for its efficiency and quality of care. The doctors and nurses are currently using 170 tablet computers in 21 units for a variety of tasks. Jon White, M.D. called it a ‘productivity tool’ and it is utilized around the hospital for patient safety through an application that assigns drugs through a unique bar code which ensures the right patient is getting the right medication and dose. It is also used to access patient records from anywhere in the hospital, review patient orders or test results, and access a library of medical reference information.
A third facility that utilizes the tablet computer is St. Mary’s Medical Center, an acute care facility in Evanville, Indiana, that provides inpatient and outpatient care. The tablet computer has currently replaced their paper-based patient charts, and cut down nurses’ charting times significantly.
Assessment
There is little doubt that the tablet computer has and will continue to revolutionize the healthcare industry. Tremendous positive changes have been made like the streamlining of once time-consuming and arduous processes. This increased efficiency ultimately translates into quality care for patients and the continued advancement of the medical field.
Conclusion
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Filed under: Information Technology, Op-Editorials | Tagged: Apple iPad, Apple Tablet PC, health information technology, HIT, IT, Jon White MD, Lancaster General Hospital, St. Mary's Medical Center, Supportive Oncology Services, tablet PC, Tablet Usage in the Health Care Industry |















Physicians aren’t taking mobile health seriously
Cyndi, well written, but sadly, the numbers of physicians in the mobile health entrepreneurial space at a recent mHealth Summit were still few and essentially unchanged from last year by one doctor’s reckoning.
http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2011/12/physicians-mobile-health.html
Major
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10 Worst Tablets of 2011
An essay by Don Reisinger of eWeek.com
It’s official: 2011 was the year of the tablet. Just about every company that competes in the technology industry is selling a tablet this year. But buyers won’t settle for just any tablet. They want top-rated products with appealing features, like the iPad or Galaxy Tab 10.1. So, many other tablets are languishing on store shelves. Take a look at the some of the biggest losers in the tablet game this year.
http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Mobile-and-Wireless/10-Worst-Tablet-Models-of-2011-233291/?kc=EWKNLEDP12262011A
Markus
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Amazon Kindle Fire Specs & iPad 2 Tablet Comparison
Compact and useful, tablet computers are moving from being just eye-catching gadgets to productivity tools; especially for doctors and nurses. Nowadays, it isn’t strange to find tablets in the medical workplace, as even lawyers and judges use iPads. But, now there’s a new contender in the landscape of tablet computers. Amazon is presenting a new tablet device, Amazon Kindle Fire.
In this infographic, we take an in-depth look at the tech specs of the new Amazon Kindle Fire tablet and compare them with the Apple iPad 2 specs, to determine if there is a place for the Amazon tablets in a professional environment.
Source: http://www.lawyertechreview.com
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Hospitals slow on tablet implementation?
Cyndi – According to this article, less than 1 percent of hospitals actually have fully functional tablet systems, according to West Wireless Health Institute, Kaiser Health News and NPR report.
Even at pioneering hospitals like UC San Diego Health System, fewer than 10 percent of physicians actively are using iPads more than 18 months after the hospital started rolled them out.
http://www.fiercemobilehealthcare.com/story/despite-ipad-love-docs-hospitals-slow-implementation/2011-12-30?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=internal
Edith
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Health IT Managers Say Tablets Can Cause Problems
IT managers at healthcare organizations say tablets pose challenges for entering data into enterprise healthcare applications and can raise IT costs.
So, here is another opinion on tablets.
http://www.informationweek.com/news/healthcare/policy/232600231
Gwen
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Doctors Quick to Adopt Tablets into Practice
Physician adoption of tablet computers has grown rapidly, according to Manhattan Research’s “Taking the Pulse U.S. 2012” survey of 3,015 physicians in 25 specialties.
The survey, conducted in the first three months of 2012, found that 62% of physicians owned a tablet computer, up from 27% in 2011, the first full year after the introduction of the iPad set off the newest wave of tablets. Of the 62% who own tablets, half use them at the point of care.
By comparison, most surveys put electronic health record use by physicians at around 50%, and that has required federal incentive programs to help get adoption to that mark.
Source: Pamela Lewis Dolan, AMNews [6/4/12]
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Will Tablets Change Medical Emergency Services Forever?
With technology advancing at such a rapid, incredible pace, it seems inevitable that particular facets of life as we know it will absorb certain aspects of it; and with items like tablets becoming less expensive every day, they appear to be the first things every company wants.
http://redir.ientry.com/04-29200-2069565-14193238-0-20
But, will tablet PCs change medical emergency services forever?
Aldon
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Hi Ann Miller RN MHA
[Executive-Director]
Tablets are being adopted for personal, professional, and educational use at an astounding rate.
However, while they make our lives more mobile, convenient, and fun, tablet use can pose health hazards according to a Harvard study. I wanted to share our new infographic with you, which shows how tablet use impacts head, neck, and shoulder posture, and how to avoid pain or injury from prolonged use.
http://www.onlinedegrees.org/the-health-hazards-of-tablet-use/
I hope if you like our piece, you’ll consider sharing it with your readers on Medical Executive Post.
Muhammad Saleem
http://muhammadsaleem.com
(312) – 576 – 1575
msaleem@gmail.com
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