It seems that everyone wants a piece of the Apple iPad action with sales reaching over seven million. Rupert Murdoch announced recently that it was a “game changer”, joining the PC, laptop and smartphone family of desirable computing gadgets. But questions are being raised about the iPad’s – and indeed tablet PCs in general – suitability for different industry sectors.
 Petter Ericson, Chief Science Officer at Swedish technology company, Anoto AB, discusses the issues and examines whether such devices could become mainstream business tools in the healthcare and social care sectors.
It was interesting to read that as early as next year, hospitals in Victoria in London will start trialling the use of iPads. The real question though is whether the tablet form factor is appropriate or even practical enough for this type of tough and often unpredictable environment.
Looking at the positives, iPads are certainly lighter and more portable than laptop computers and more readable than smart phones; they also have a whole universe of ‘apps’ to make content and features easier to access; and the functionality is familiar to most of us so relatively straightforward to use.
So far so good, but then again most healthcare environments like hospital wards, treatment rooms and outpatient clinics, do not need immediate access to lots of web-based content, or the lure of revolutionary cutting edge design. On a more practical level, what about the threat of damage? For doctors and nurses, midwives and care workers, mobility could be a real concern – it is not just a question of where to put it, but the constant worry about dropping it, spilling fluids on it and damaging it. This has always been an issue for laptops and Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), so it is unlikely to be any different for an iPad.
Then there is the issue of theft. iPads are desirable pieces of technology – not only are they expensive to replace, but also the information stored on them, such as sensitive patient data, could be invaluable, perhaps even life saving.
Paper still key medium for capturing data
In healthcare environments where paper is still the key medium for capturing information, there is a clear need for a more practical and low cost solution for capturing and transmitting data, particularly for a largely mobile workforce.
Digital Pen and Paper technology is continuing to win over many healthcare trusts, hospitals and care organisations by putting usability and simplicity over IT wizardry and cool design. It offers a simple but effective alternative to screen and keyboard and tablet PC solutions and can quickly capture, process, interpret and transmit information in real time.
Digital Pen and Paper automatically captures handwritten information in medical or care forms – such as physiotherapist treatment forms, midwives consultation notes or care workers’ visiting notes – and digitises that information, eliminating the need to manually type it up later.
The pen looks like a normal ballpoint pen with a tiny infrared camera at its tip, and stored data is synchronised via a docking station or mobile phone and Bluetooth with back-end systems, rather than remaining on the device itself. For healthcare workers, this means synching and backing up data to patient record systems and other repositories easily and quickly and eliminating the number of potential manual errors.
For those who require duplicate paper reports or documents for regulatory or administrative purposes, like social or care workers visiting family members, digital paper forms solutions provide the answer.
Unlike most technology, users require little or no training and can be up and running almost immediately. A Digital Pen is also practical and robust, extremely light and portable (it can easily fit into a pocket or bag) and because it looks like a normal pen is not typically a target for theft.
Practicality over aesthetics
When introducing new technology to critical health and social care services, the first consideration should always be the needs of the users and the underlying processes. Tablet PCs like iPads can be a valuable asset – they are mobile, highly functional and provide a great user experience in most situations.
For executives in the boardroom, there is little doubt that they can be a real benefit, but when it comes to more practical uses, especially in healthcare and social care environments, it is a different story. Adopting the latest cool technology may seem appealing, but the question remains whether it is relevant and appropriate – if not, it will almost certainly cause headaches further down the line. |
