iPads join tongue depressors and latex gloves as a hospital fixture
The next time you visit a hospital or medical clinic for a routine check or emergency, don't be surprised if the doctor shows up with an iPad in hand.
The Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that in several Windy City hospitals, the iPad is making inroads in a big way. The Loyola University Medical Center has given Apple's tablet to all of its orthopedic residents as a pilot program, while the University of Chicago Medical Center is expanding an existing pilot by providing iPads to all of their internal medicine residents.
What are the iPads used for? At the University of Chicago, plastic surgeon Dr. Julie Park shows breast-cancer patients what they may look like after reconstructive surgery. At the Metro South Medical Center, many of the emergency room doctors purchased their own iPads once they found out that they could access the hospital's medical record system from the devices. One Metro South doctor was quoted as saying that the iPads resolved one of the traditional problems with moving from paper to electronic records -- having to go to a desktop computer to order lab tests or update patient notes.
Since the iPad is used as a portal device to the record system at Metro South, no patient info is stored on the device. Both the medical record system and iPad are password-protected as well, keeping secure information safe from prying eyes.
If you're using an iPad in a hospital or other medical venue, let us know how it's working out by leaving a comment.
[via MacDailyNews]
