IPads Help Doctors Work More Efficiently

By Melissa Daniels | Tue Mar 13, 2012 1:39 pm

IPads drastically help doctors boost their productivity, according to a study, highlighting how mobile technology is revolutionizing healthcare.

Research from the University of Chicago found iPads helped 68 percent of residents avoid delays in patient care, and 90 percent used it routinely for clinical duties.

Technology can help speed up medical care in many ways, but a tablet condenses several steps and provides portability so doctors don't trek all over a hospital to check records, medicine and patient care. The efficiency is set to increase even further as tablets become less exclusive and gain popularity with medical professionals.

Researchers studied tablet use of 115 doctors for four months, finding the devices help order tests, review results, keep patient records or check medical journals. Most doctors said it cut out an hour of their daily workload, and 78 percent said it made them feel more efficient.

"Residents face a vast and increasing workload packed into tightly regulated hours," said researcher Dr. Bhakti Patel. "They spend much of their time completing documentation and updating patient charts. This study indicates that personal mobile computers can streamline that process."

Having more patient information at doctors' fingertips could mean quicker service, good news to anyone whose spent hours waiting in an emergency room. As the benefits of iPads become clear, and as medical personnel join in the trend, it could catch on in hospitals around the world if departments choose to invest in the devices.

But the change does bring up questions on privacy and security. Test orders or results could be misinterpreted by an autocorrect or clicking a wrong number. There's the element of distraction, as email applications and web browsers could result in potentially risky multi-tasking.

Also, iPads containing patient health records will need to include certain security measures to prevent others from seeing the data, or risk jeopardizing it in the case of a misplaced devices.

Such issues may find solutions as device-assisted doctors become more common. Already the medical field is subject of a swarm of apps hitting both smartphone and tablet markets, and medical professionals in some hospitals are already using mobile devices to communicate with one another.

Hospitals are taking steps to join the many advantages of mobile technology to help speed up and improve patient care. And as organizations across the industry evolves with best practices, even more medical-specific apps and programs will likely aid doctors in hospitals and clinics, as well as emergency situations worldwide.

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