http://www.motioncomputing.com/products/tablet_pc_c5.asp
We've used the C5 at our hospital for over a year now. It has an included digital camera/scanner so we can deliver meds to the right patient. We can review lab results at the bedside, make IV and ventilator adjustments in seconds, and review xrays in a few taps. It has Wifi so I can go onto the net and look up medication databases, diagnoses, journal websites, etc. I can write out an email with handwriting recognition.
Look, I don't want to pretend the iPad isn't needed in the technology workspace. It is, and with it's release, it is sure to spur improvements from other designers. But lets not get carried away. Apple is not inventing anything. I keep reading how great the iPad might be for clinical applications, such as the C5. I cannot imagine trying to work with an iPad while I'm wearing gloves. My iPhone is pretty damn slippery while wearing gloves, the iPad is heavier, won't fit into my pocket, nor will it work very well with gloves covering the fingers (unless Apple has made significant improvements over the iPhone).
Last but not least, all of these so-called future applications of the iPad require one major hurdle: Apple. Apple needs to be willing to open up themselves to work with medical IT departments and app creators. The infrastructure we have at our hospital is years in the making, not some app offered in the App Store.
We've used the C5 at our hospital for over a year now. It has an included digital camera/scanner so we can deliver meds to the right patient. We can review lab results at the bedside, make IV and ventilator adjustments in seconds, and review xrays in a few taps. It has Wifi so I can go onto the net and look up medication databases, diagnoses, journal websites, etc. I can write out an email with handwriting recognition.
Look, I don't want to pretend the iPad isn't needed in the technology workspace. It is, and with it's release, it is sure to spur improvements from other designers. But lets not get carried away. Apple is not inventing anything. I keep reading how great the iPad might be for clinical applications, such as the C5. I cannot imagine trying to work with an iPad while I'm wearing gloves. My iPhone is pretty damn slippery while wearing gloves, the iPad is heavier, won't fit into my pocket, nor will it work very well with gloves covering the fingers (unless Apple has made significant improvements over the iPhone).
Last but not least, all of these so-called future applications of the iPad require one major hurdle: Apple. Apple needs to be willing to open up themselves to work with medical IT departments and app creators. The infrastructure we have at our hospital is years in the making, not some app offered in the App Store.
