Many hospitals and health care providers are embracing new mobile technologies to improve patient care, the San Jose Mercury News reports.
Supporting Physician Workflow
Many physicians now carry smartphones such as Apple's iPhone when working at hospitals so they can instantly access supporting data on any health situation.
In addition, some medical centers are installing devices such as Apple's iPad in emergency departments and other hospital areas so staff can access critical information.
According to Meredith Ressi of Manhattan Research, more than 70% of U.S. physicians now use advanced phones or personal digital assistants, and 80% of those doctors say the devices are essential to their work.
The trend of greater reliance on mobile devices has caused government officials to consider whether new regulations are necessary to ensure the accuracy of medical software applications (Boudreau, San Jose Mercury News, 8/3).
Collecting Patient Data
Other health care facilities are using electronic tablets -- which are 2.5-pound small-scale computers -- to gather information from patients upon their arrival.
For example, patients at Duke University Hospital's cancer clinics can use an e-tablet to fill out a series of questions about their health situation. The tablet prints the completed form in the physician's work area, highlighting changes from previous clinic visits and flagging critical parts of the patient's health situation.
Currently, more than 1,100 patients use the clinics' 100 e-tablets each month.
Amy Abernethy, director of Duke's Cancer Care Research Program, said patients are more likely to answer "sensitive questions" truthfully when reporting on an e-tablet instead of in person or on a paper form (Offen, Durham Herald Sun, 8/3).