Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Alan Shortt on January 28, 2010 at 12:59pm

...not even on the move - the deskbound primary care physician might be able to rest the thing on his/her lap or the desk like an old fashioned set of notes and engage in some eye contact - the modern way of having the patient sat alongside the doctor as opposed to formal opposite didnt always sit well with the ergonomics of looking at a screen - not with my typing anyway -- i thing Apples ultimate gift has and will be raising the standard wrt ergonomics and user interface - how long before EMIS and Vision catch on?

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Permalink Reply by Sanjoy Sanyal on January 28, 2010 at 1:17pm

After the hype regarding iPad, some techie types are a bit disappointed that it did not match up to all their expectations; No built-in camera, No Flash support, No user-replaceable battery etc.

See the link for further details
http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/patterson/64364

Time will tell us how it catches on with the public.

Sanjoy Sanyal

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Permalink Reply by Chris Paton on January 28, 2010 at 1:54pm

Hi Sanjoy,

Yes, it seem that Apple really doesn't like Flash :-). Some standards enthusiasts would probably praise that decision but it does limit what you can do with the device quite a bit.

As for the battery, camera, etc I guess these are compromises to keep the price down.

My main worry is the lack of onboard storage. The device is really designed to connect to 'cloud' storage but it would have been nice to have > 100 GB for storing stuff locally.

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Permalink Reply by Mohammad Khasawneh on January 28, 2010 at 2:36pm

well... personally i think that this device is going to make a revolution just like the iphone done before ,

As chris mention the features of this device make it fit perfectly with the medical environment. The simple design of the hardware and software,make it very easy to use without need for specific training, and the long life battery, the quick response, wight, wifi all of these features make it really perfect device for EMR, but "without software the hardware is useless", so i think to make this device usable and adaptable in the medical field and usable for EHR, and since the SDK is available for all to develop application for this wonderful device, it is now the role it is now the role of health informatics professional who have experience and knowledge in programing to develop EMR application specifically and application which can enhance and improve the health care delivery in general, we should not have to wait big IT companies to develop this applications "which may not be suitable for health care practice" and sell it for us with very high prices , simply we know what is the best for us , so why do not do it??

Sanjoy: you can search Google there are an flash player app. for iPhone "which can be used for this device because basically they have the same OS" despite that this app. convert the flash content into codes and then combine it and play it as video file, "which is increase the use of CPU to 98%" it is a solution for flash player problem

regarding the other issue you mention i think you are right "despite that i think that there is no need for camera to be in this device"

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Permalink Reply by Richard O'Desky on January 28, 2010 at 2:37pm

I'm all about user interface and functionality. I detest what most MS developers present as intuitive and user friendly devices and code. Kudos to Apple for focusing on what counts..., the user and the task. This forum is populated by far too many geeks and technocrats. Get back to basics. This is not the be all/end all as devices go..., but it's a step closer to a device that most users will use intuitively. We intend to begin looking at its use in our application developement process. I have no doubt the vast majority of docs using our system will opt for this number if given the choice.

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Permalink Reply by Eduardo Almeida on January 28, 2010 at 6:35pm

iPhone App Vs. Safari
Here at EasyMedFile.com we are still debating if we should go for an iPhone App. The whole point is that our users are extremely satisfied with the capabilities we can offer through Apple's Browser (Safari). At the end of the day, the fair job done by Safari ended up being a big question mark to software companies like ours. But as usual, the user is the who ultimately decides the way we should take.

Safari Vs Firefox
A few minor problems on Safari still make us dream about a day when we could have a Firefox version for iPhones and most certainly the new iPad. This is because the red fox still detains the most comprehensive check list of compliances with most web-based software, as well as performance during operations by the end user.

Flash and Apple
This story must have an end. The sooner the better for the sake of all of us (Apple as well, which has not taken a good credit with this constraint).
Here at EasyMedFile.com we have worked around the problem with YouTube. Not a big secret, but a huge pain in the neck, that's for sure.

Multi-Language and Hand-writing
This is another nightmare for software companies like ours. The device has its integration with the software that does the whole conversion from handwriting to bits and most of the time the end user still thinks that this is some sort of lack skill to do a good job by the software providers. My guess is that still it will be okay for situations like punching cards, but still struggling for full sentences and paragraphs for awhile, at least.

Cameras on the Device
This is something that should be available since its release. I can foresee our users trying to take pictures with their iPads and trying to attach that to their patient files right away. Not a big magic, very pretty scenario at least in theory, but not quite sure about its applicability in the real practice. Now.... imagine the demand from other industries such as the Real Estate and Insurance Companies, just to mention a few....

These are my 2 cents, but I must confess.... I am already craving to play more with those little things and see how our work looks on it. They said we are going to get some next week.... barely can wait.

Cheers to you all.

Ed.

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Permalink Reply by Chris Shafer on January 29, 2010 at 12:56am

The large display and auto-rotation features make it a natural for patient education. I could see it being used by a patient and physician together in a natural, collaborative manner to review a latient's progress.

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Permalink Reply by Ravishankar Vishwanath on January 29, 2010 at 1:35am

One thing I am always intrigued as far as the doctor-computer interface is concerned. Is it a matter of User Interface - meaning - if EMRs have a better UI like the iPAD, will more and more doctors start using EMRs OR is it a question of "What do I get out of filling records and maintaining them- an issue of Value I am getting out of the system? The question is - is it UI or Value?
What are the thoughts?

regards
Ravi

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Permalink Reply by Alan Shortt on January 29, 2010 at 2:08am

both of course - potential value must exist per se in the electronic record as sure as any record - drs deal with data about patients - if the user interface makes accessing and entering that data more relevant and easier the value increases -it becomes self improving as ease of use promotes better use- better quality and more easily retrievable data - whilst looking more like the old way of taking notes -- see the new ical app on the device - like a real diary only better - the old lotus organiser looked a bit like an organiser - this looks just like a diary
the iphone demonstrates the phenomena of the user interface and content of the apps combining to both reveal hitherto hidden value and increase it through usability

Ravishankar Vishwanath said:

One thing I am always intrigued as far as the doctor-computer interface is concerned. Is it a matter of User Interface - meaning - if EMRs have a better UI like the iPAD, will more and more doctors start using EMRs OR is it a question of "What do I get out of filling records and maintaining them- an issue of Value I am getting out of the system? The question is - is it UI or Value?
What are the thoughts?

regards
Ravi

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Permalink Reply by Andreas Landmark on January 29, 2010 at 3:56am

I disagree with the notion that this is going to be a good solution for accessing the EMR. This is "just another" device that has cumbersome input (it might be good for reading, I haven't actually tried it) and does not give the same affordances as paper.

Research[1] has also indicated that pen&paper is by far the quickest a fairly robust and versatile way of annotating charts in ways that we still haven't been able to successfully replicate electronically.

[1] for instance Dahl et al: http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpls/abs_all.jsp?arnumber=4205164

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Permalink Reply by John Meredith on January 30, 2010 at 1:59am

Not convinced - the argument for pen and paper being the better medium only goes as far as the data entry. Everything post entry and pen and paper's usability and versatility are diminished considerably. The current generation of Doctors and clinical staff are being quickly superceded by younger people who tend to type faster than write. And even the authors of the paper you cite state "that a combination of complementary digital media is required".

Could the ipad be usable in the clinical context? No. The concept maybe but can anyone honestly see the iPad having a place on a hospital ward? They'd have to tie the thing down to prevent it being a target for theft, and anyone who has worked in the clinical environment can attest to the scenario where all hell breaks loose and you drop what oyu are doing. Leave it on a reception desk and it will be gone.

Additionally, I am not going to be convinced that the battery life is going to hold up in the real world scenario. I have drained my iPod Touch in a couple of hours playing Sim City and if there is a graphicall notation EPR/EMR application, this may not be a grpahically intensive but will still hit the battery hard.

Apple seem to be under the impression that they can create a whole new market with this product, but in effect are pinning it's success on the perceptino that they have a must have device opposed to filling a gap in the market. As far as health care, I cannot see Apple putting R&D into a IP65 rated IPad which would be a requirement in most healthcare scenarios.

And let's not forget that this end of the market is already covered well by prodiucts such as the PANASONIC MCA Toughbook CF-H1. Main difference? It's not a Mac. But how much medical software is Mac compatible? In the UK I have never even heard of any application.

To summarise: iPad in Healthcare = not a chance.

Andreas Landmark said:

I disagree with the notion that this is going to be a good solution for accessing the EMR. This is "just another" device that has cumbersome input (it might be good for reading, I haven't actually tried it) and does not give the same affordances as paper.

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Permalink Reply by Muluneh Endalew Gizaw on January 30, 2010 at 3:03am

thanks, the device is intersting and enhance creativity.
i am now following MSC. program in Addis Ababa University.
i am ,sure that i can obtain enormous things
buy

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