Australia election campaign promises iPads in every hospital

Sam, this is a very common misunderstanding in the States dating all the way back to the first world war I believe. There was some Army medical badge that used the staff of Caduceus.

At least the actual medical institutes know the difference. They almost all use the rod of Asclepius exclusively.

Who cares if it's still news in a few years, the question is whether this will still be in use by forward-thinking institutions in three years. For hospitals and clinics, I think yes. (For universities, I think it could go either way depending on numerous factors).

Traditional computer systems utilized by these institutions are very expensive, depending on the hospital this could actually prove to have cost savings.

There's a communication benefit here as well, information moves onto the server and into the hands of anyone who needs it immediately. Chart mix-ups can also be more effectively managed (especially if iPad 2 comes with a camera, a barcode scanning solution could be added to provide instant access to exactly the right chart). Doctors can more easily manage their patient care with these kinds of tools.

Also, rather than spend money on millions of paper forms, time writing on paper forms, time transcribing medical notes from paper to computer, time and money printing charts, time tracking down staff to communicating results, place requests, etc. they can just use iPads (or other tablets) and have instant access to all the patient records they need and have push notifications for urgent communications.

In hospitals, as well as everywhere else, the two main resources in question are time and money, and the main goal in using those resources is patient care. It's possible that a shift to iPads could save money, it's practically guaranteed that it will save time, and patient care would more likely than not see a boost as well. To me, it's a no-brainer to get the tools in place for hospital workers to do their jobs as efficiently as possible.