Twenty doctors are using iPads to keep track of patients in a trial program at a California hospital district.
At Kaweah Delta Health Care District in Visalia, doctors and staff already use smart phones, including the iPhone, to access the hospital’s network. Over the weekend, the small group of doctors in a trial run were given iPads to keep abreast of patients, whether they are off site or in another wing of the hospital.
Technology director Nick Volosin has already ordered another 100 iPads to equip hospital employees including home health and hospice care workers, nurses, dietitians and pharmacists.
The iPad has many plusses for hospital use, Volosin says: it’s portable, has a 10-hour battery life and costs just $500. Volosin said that similar touchscreen devices have price tags close to $3,000.
“This is going to make my day easier and patient safety better because not only now I don’t have to find a work station to do what I need to do. What I need to do I can do it right there, right then, right now,” kidney specialist Dr. Roger Haley told ABC news.
Via PC News
Nicole Martinelli is a San Francisco freelance writer who heads up Cult of Mac Magazine, our weekly publication available on iTunes. You can find her on Twitter and Google+. If you’re doing something new, cool and Apple-related, email her.
