TabletKiosk intros MediSlate MCA i1040XT for healthcare professionals
By Donald Melanson 
posted Mar 5th 2009 2:03PM
posted Mar 5th 2009 2:03PM
We've already seen a few devices based on Intel's Mobile Clinical Assistant platform, but TabletKiosk looks to be raising the bar slightly with its new MediSlate MCA i1040XT which, among other things, is apparently the only such device with a sunlight-readable touchscreen. This being TabletKiosk, the device is also ruggedized and rated for drops of up to four feet, and it's fully sealed to resist spills and hold up to hospital disinfectants. Otherwise, you can expect a Core 2 Solo ULV processor, 2GB of RAM, an 80GB hard drive, two hot-swappable battery bays to keep things running all day, an optional 3G data card, and a whole slew of built-in bonuses, including a barcode scanner, an RFID reader, a fingerprint reader, and a 2 megapixel webcam. What's more, while TabletKiosk is obviously targeting medical professionals, it seems like it's also more than happy to sell one to anyone else interested, as the tablet's now up for order on its website for $2,795.
[Via Medgadget]
[Via Medgadget]
do you trust windows with your life?
If you heard "healthcare","clinical" and "medical" words, the truly the product will cost you twice.
and if you heard "government" it would cost you 10X the price!
We've tested previous versions of those in the hospital system I work at. Heavy, clumsy, and slow have been universal criticisms. And yes Windows is used all over the place in hospitals. The few macs that are used are largely isolated and not very versatile, go figure.
Working in a hospital, how will it stand up against viruses?
I guess it doesn't need to be connected to the Internet? Or do you need a life feed of your blood pressure online?
uh... I think you missed the joke, sport.
It's white, so it must be free from germs and/or cooties.
When I see doctors and nurses carrying around laptops that spin into a tablet I'm just amazed that anyone would be willing to lug the things around all day. Don't know how good this will be - but it couldn't be much worse.
This looks strikingly familiar to the Motion C5 Tablet.
We have clients with Motion tablets. They're trash. We're constantly sending them back because they'll turn them off and they won't turn back on. We've sent at least 5 back in the past 4 months and they only have 20 or so.
As an EMR implementation specialist and EMR template developer, EMR is my life. It never ceases to amaze me how many people get jazzed over specialized hardware or PDAs or mini-laptops for healthcare applications. The plain and brutal facts are that (1) the screens on tablets/PDAs/slates are too small to interact efficiently with EMR software, (2) most physicians would rather enter their charts in their own office on a desktop with a 24" flatpanel anyway, and (3) the hardware isn't nearly as important as the EMR software. We order Toshiba tablets for our doctors, but they rarely use them where they're supposed to: in the exam room. Flashy mobile hardware is pretty much irrelevant.
iPhone seems to be the craze these days for EMR stuff.
Oh sure, you'll see lots of med students and younger docs running ePocrates or SureScripts e-prescribing on iPhones and Treos, but that's not an EMR. Try completing a comprehensive HPI, review of systems, physical exam, lab orders (don't forget the ABN!) and reviewing those microbiology results on anything smaller than a 14" laptop and you'll tear your hair out.
re: 1) - I think if EMR were done properly, an 8-10 inch screen would be just fine. All EMRs I've worked with waste a LOT of space. They're also still too menu-dependent. A fundamental shift needs to take place (i.e. same thought process that went into the MS Office ribbon, but improved) from menus to icons/symbols (icons are much easier to sort through quickly with the eye than are words).
2) - if a major shift in EMR doesn't take place (like above) then agreed
3) - absolutely true. It's the software that does all the magic, not the hardware.
Just gimme the case, hardware, and screen, please. That'll be my carry-around in the house so I can watch cooking videos in the kitchen, do yoga in the backyard, and run the HTPC / Music system.
Finally, doctors will be able to perform life saving Google searches from the bedside.
remember the eVilla!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_eVilla
I've also used a previous version of these at the hospital where I work, and they are actually quite useful for looking up patients' lab values, medications, etc. while rounding, especially if all the terminals on the floor are currently occupied by nurses, social workers and other medical teams (and they usually are). However, we ultimately don't use them very much because the horrible stylus/virtual keyboard implementation makes looking up data take FOREVER since you need to enter personal passwords and medical record numbers as well as navigate the crude GUI of the hospitals EMR system. Also, they're heavy.
If these had a physical keyboard a la the Kindle 2, or a fingertip virtual keyboard a la the iPhone, then I would use them constantly on the floors. Also, despite my daily gym routine, it wouldn't hurt for them to be lighter by a pound or so.