Filed under: Apple
Hospitals eye the iPad for low-cost paperless records
Unless you have absolutely no imagination, you've probably noticed the resemblance of the iPad to one of those cheap little clipboards that your friendly neighborhood doctor carries around on rounds. Apple is rumored to be making its own rounds of hospitals marketing the new über-iPod touch, having visited a hospital in LA in the recent weeks.What's so great about tablets for health care? When connected to a Wi-Fi network, they're perfect for looking up medical information or working patient charts while on the move. The iPad in particular would be perfect, having no keyboard to disinfect or lid hinges to break. In addition, the most expensive Wi-Fi iPad is priced at just US$699, while many traditional Windows Tablet PCs used in health care start in the neighborhood of $2,000.
Of course, it all depends on the software. We recently received a question from a reader who just happens to be a doctor, asking if he could use an iPad with his existing Windows-based medical record keeping system. The answer was simple; yes, since there are already many VNC and RDP apps available for the iPad that can be used to control a remote PC (examples are Jaadu VNC [iTunes Link] and iTap RDP Client [iTunes Link].
While neither of these vendors has 'fessed up to working on an iPad-specific version of their app, it's only a matter of time. For medical practices using the Mac OS X-based MacPractice system, the company has announced MacPractice Interface for iPad, MacPractice Kiosk for iPad, Dental Chart for iPad, and an iPad-based EMR/EHR app.
With a little luck and a big marketing push from Apple, the iPad may make it into hospitals and medical offices around the world.
[via MacNN]
Update: The author apologizes to all who were offended by the previous image that accompanied this post. Also, please note that the image above is an artists conception and does not indicate that an iPad or any other unsterilized electronic instrument would be used in a hospital environment.
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Bracken said 11:52AM on 2-03-2010
As I wrote down patient vital signs and lab values at 5:30am this morning in my illegible chicken-scratch onto a piece of paper that I then photocopied a dozen times, I thought to myself.....
I could really use an iPad right now.
Reply
Jeremy Kelley said 10:26AM on 2-03-2010
I love this idea and think it definitely will catch on.
On a similar note, when I saw the title of this post go by on Twitter, I was prepared to email this article to a doctor friend of mine. Unfortunately the picture you have chosen means I don't feel comfortable forwarding this link in a professional setting. I hope I'm not sounding too prudish, but please keep that in mind when selecting photographs to accompany your posts.
I love your blog and enjoy sharing the articles with colleagues.
Reply
Joshua Ochs said 11:01AM on 2-03-2010
Whereas I thought the picture was genius and had to show it to my wife.
Half of the population has those. You've all undoubtedly seen them before. :)
Steven Sande said 11:39AM on 2-03-2010
OK, so I wrote this late at night, and....
The picture and reference have been changed. You can now send this to as many colleagues as you wish.
Sorry if I offended anyone with my juvenile 52 year-old sense of humor.
Steve
Jordan said 12:01PM on 2-03-2010
I think the idea of tablets in the medical world is an awesome idea. However, I want hospitals using specialized, heavily encrypted, well protected software. Not too keen on my info being used in an ipad app.
Could some corporation develop an app for the ipad specifically for hospitals? Yes, yes they could. But I'd still feel safer if the tablet that they'd be using, the OS, everything, was all from one corporation that created it specifically for hospitals.
Eric said 10:27AM on 2-03-2010
I also think that the reason the iPad (version 1) does not have a camera is so that hospitals don't freak out about privacy issues. Also, companies which are 'secure' - don't allow cameras, phones w/cameras, etc - would probably really like cameraless iPads...
Eric
Reply
Jason Martin said 10:34AM on 2-03-2010
I'm trying to think of how a camera on an iPad would be that much of a privacy issue. The particularly delicate information would be contained on the iPad itself (or maybe on a server). How would the camera raise additional privacy concerns that isn't already present with the confidential medial information in a hospital setting?
drmike said 11:02AM on 2-03-2010
People can take pictures of patients they shouldn't, and then email them to somebody outside the organization. Blackberry kept cameras off their phones for a long time because of this, back when their biggest client was the US government. Doesn't mean they can't get fined heavily under the new HIPAA regulations, but by then the damage has already been done.
Jason Martin said 1:39PM on 2-03-2010
Sure. I understand that, but how is that more of a privacy risk than someone using the information on the iPad and distributing it? If someone had access to a device to the extent that they could take a picture and send it, couldn't they just as easily copy and send the medical records as well? To me, that seems like a security threat that isn't limited to a camera and one that must be addressed by the professionals who use and administer the device.
I'm not saying you're wrong. I'm just trying to understand the difference.
Jason Martin said 10:30AM on 2-03-2010
I agree with #1. This potentially is a huge benefit of the iPad, especially when used with some of the cool medical apps in the App Store. I have a number of colleagues that I would love to share this post with, but because of the pic, I'm forced to find a similar post on another site. You know, professionalism and all.
Reply
gowmukhi said 10:32AM on 2-03-2010
bad pic
Reply
Steven Sande said 11:39AM on 2-03-2010
It's been replaced. You and some other people took offense to what was intended to be humorous. Amazing how few people have a sense of humor these days...
Steve
Jason Martin said 1:50PM on 2-03-2010
@Steven Sande
It's not that we, your loyal readers, do not have a sense of humor. I didn't much of the picture until I thought about forwarding the article to my boss. My concern is that my boss and other colleagues may not share in the humor. Articles such as these cross into the business world, which for better or worse, still requires a certain level of professionalism. That's all.
PSTMD said 10:36AM on 2-03-2010
Yes. Exactly! I have been waiting for Apple to release this product for a long time. I can easily log into my (sadly) Windows server and electronic medical record on my iphone but the screen real estate is just to small to be usable. The iPad's size and light weight is ideal. What is more, I don't need a lot of memory, or flash, or multitasking. A camera would be nice to add patient photos to the record but that will come. At $500, these babies will be replaceable yearly (which so far has been the life span of other windows tablets and both Mac and windows laptops)
On a side note, as a physician now and a former registered nurse, I am offended by your choice of photos for this article. I know you meant it as a joke but the stereotype of the nurse as a slut-in-white is pervasive, degrading and wrong. Nurses are trained professionals who work very hard preserving life everyday!
OK, now I'll get off my soapbox : )
Reply
Steven Sande said 11:39AM on 2-03-2010
The photo has been replaced and the humorous reference removed.
Have a nice day.
Steve
Harkonian said 10:50PM on 2-03-2010
Slutty nurse in white? Now I'm sorry I missed the original image.
Bob said 10:50AM on 2-03-2010
Hospitals will never use these. I work in one, and our IS department is about 10 years behind and VERY Windows-centric. If you mention using anything besides what's on their list of hardware and software, they have to 'review' it which means 'NO'. Now, I could see private practices LOVING this device. But hospitals will never use this. There's no money in it for contractors that sell overpriced EMR software.
Reply
John said 4:19PM on 2-03-2010
Imagine if the hospital management told the IT (support) folks that the iPad was going to be deployed, and if they wanted to keep their jobs, they would get up to speed on supporting it really soon. Imagine the hospital maintenance folks trying to tell management that they won't support the new MRI machine unless they get to "review" it first...
King Fysel said 10:50AM on 2-03-2010
I would forward this post around the hospital where I work if not for the stupid porn reference.
Reply
Steven Sande said 11:46AM on 2-03-2010
Go ahead, show it all you want. The "stupid porn reference" has been removed.
Steve