Pharma reps with iPads instead of tablet PCs?

The Apple iPad is the latest trendy topic in the world of mobile technology. Will pharmaceutical drug reps knock on physician offices equipped with an iPad instead of a tablet PC? After all, this would give them another opportunity to have an engaging conversation about the latest in technology.

I can just imagine the conversation now:

• Drug rep: Hi doctor! Can I spend a few minutes and go through my e-detailing piece with you?
• Doctor: Sure. Wait, is that an iPad? Can I see that thing? Forget the e-detailing. I want to try out your iPad.

Very productive, yes? At least your bag will be lighter if you're carrying an iPad instead of a tablet PC. If you're interested in "How the iPad could change healthcare marketing," then make sure to read this piece by Kerry Hilton, president and CEO of HC&B Healthcare Communications.

Tablet PC vs. Workstation in the Physician Office?

This is being republished from my other blog: http://www.mobilehealthcomputing.com

In the outpatient setting, we see clipboards all the time. New patients are often handed a clipboard that contains several pages of forms. When the nurse or medical assistant comes in to the exam room, he/she often holds a clipboard (or your chart) to record your information and data. Then, when the physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant comes into the room, he/she is probably also holding your chart or clipboard. Now, here come the important questions:

• Does the doctor sit or stand while he/she talks to the patient?  Patients seem to prefer it when the doctor is sitting.
• If there's a computer in the room, does the doctor spend most of the time looking at the computer screen or the patient?
• If there's a keyboard attached to the computer, is the doctor typing away or looking at the patient?
• If the doctor is using a tablet (in slate mode), then he/she won't be typing. That doctor will be tapping on the screen with a stylus pen. When interacting directly with a patient, is that better or worse than typing on a keyboard?

The beauty of the convertible tablet PC is that it can be used when you're sitting or standing. You can't really do that with a desktop, but you can if you have a tablet that you can hold in your hand. Once you get comfortable with pen-based computing, you'll quickly realize that it's much more efficient to tap directly on the screen. Also, if you're using a tablet PC, you can talk to the patient while you're standing. Then, you can also sit on a stool and continue the conversation while you scribble notes or tap on the screen of your tablet PC in slate mode.  Then, if you need to do a fair bit of typing, you could quickly convert your slate tablet into a laptop. As tablets become more versatile, more health care providers will turn to tablets for the outpatient and inpatient settings. We're going to see more rugged tablets. We're also going to see lighter models that can easily convert from slate to notebook modes.

New rugged tablet PC

There's a new tablet PC that looks very promising for the medical community:

• Dell Latitude XT2 XFR (rugged Tablet PC)

The best feature is that it's a "rugged" computer. Now that doesn't mean that you can throw this computer around, but it will probably survive more falls than your average tablet computer. As more physicians embrace electronic health records (EHRs) in their hospitals, clinics, and offices, we will definitely see more tablet computers used in the health care community.

Using a Tablet PC in healthcare

Do you use a Tablet PC? If you don't, consider this: Why use a tablet PC in the medical world?

Tablet PCs in Healthcare

Read my post on Mobile Health Computing about this topic: Will the Tablet PC Gain Traction?

HIMSS Virtual Conference & Expo: Day #1

Today is day #1 of the 2009 HIMSS Virtual Conference & Expo. Here's a snapshot of some of the key educational sessions from this morning:

Opening Keynote Address: Congress’ Role in Advancing 21st Century Medicine

• The Federal Government’s Gateway Solution to the NHIN
• The Secret Sauce: Achieving ROI that Justifies the Initial Investment
• Real-World CIOs Who Implemented EHR Subsidies Under Stark
• EHR Documentation - Mobile Devices That Are Used at the Ambulatory Point-of-Care

Have you been keeping up with the Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN)? Also, how many clinicians are maximizing their productivity by using tablet PCs in the ambulatory setting? Health IT is growing rapidly, but can companies keep up with support staff and resources? How will the AHLTA (developed for the Department of Defense) model impact commercial EHRs?

I hope to write about some of these topics over the next few days as I absorb and process all this information.

Do You Use a Tablet PC?

How many doctors use a tablet PC? Among those, how many use them like a laptop vs. a tablet? Want to see my opinion? How Many Doctors Use a Tablet PC Like a Tablet?

Rethinking the Kindle DX

I've been thinking about the rationale behind the Kindle DX. Why would Amazon want to release something so large and expensive? You could purchase a mobile computer (like a laptop or netbook) for the same amount. Does it really make sense to release an e-book reader that's so expensive?

The folks over at Amazon must really think that people are willing to replace textbooks with e-books. I'm a big fan of being paperless, but that's why I use my convertible Lenovo Thinkpad X200 tablet PC. I have a large color screen (12") and I can read all the PDFs I want to without panning, scrolling, etc.

How will the Apple iPad (I call it that right now, but it could end up being called the MacPad, MacTablet or iTablet) change the way people view these portable digital devices? Many people read on their iPhone. Will a larger tablet-sized gadget be preferred? How will doctors react to this surge of slate tablet-type gadgets? Will physicians become more inclined to embrace pen-based input and move away from the keyboard? Will Microsoft Surface reinforce the fact that you can be so much more efficient if you're using natural touch and finger gestures?

Are You Excited about the Kindle DX?

I'm a big fan of being "green" and paperless whenever possible. We should be thinking about our environment. I read all my documents electronically. I take notes by "inking" on my tablet PC.

So, am I excited about the new Amazon Kindle DX? This thing is going to have a much larger screen. 9.7" to be exact. However, I'm willing to bet that it's also going to be priced quite high.

I love the concept of an e-book reader, but I think that the ones made by Amazon, Sony, and others are simply too expensive. If the price could come down significantly, then I think we would see a huge uptake (especially when you have celebrities like Oprah giving their endorsements).

Announcing MobileHealthComputing.com

I've decided to rebrand UltraMobileHealth.com as MobileHealthComputing.com

This new URL more accurately describes the purpose of the website. Instead of focusing entirely on ultra-mobile PCs, I will be evaluating laptops/notebooks, tablet PCs, netbooks, MIDs, and other mobile computing platforms.

Visit to the Doctor: Today vs. the Future

I had a visit to the doctor yesterday. I admit that I still chuckle inside when I see people filling out paper forms. Someday in the future, when people visit their doctor, they won't be filling out forms. Instead, they will be pressing on-screen buttons on kiosks and tablets. Everything will be digital and paperless. You'll see electronic health records (EHRs) everywhere. We'll be represented by barcodes or some type of sophisticated RFID chip (no, I don't think this chip will get implanted under our skin). However, I am convinced that in the future, doctors will be operating with a paperless system. All our health data will be digital. If you use an Internet-based personal health record (PHR) service, then you'll have access to your information whenever you need it.

Dell XT2 Tablet

Speaking of the Dell XT2 Tablet, I've noticed that Dell knows who they are targeting on their website. This image was taken from their tablet site and you can see that they are advertising the "touch feature" of this tablet PC. My Lenovo Thinkpad X200 Tablet also has this feature. I can use my stylus pen (active digitizer) to write on the tablet and enter data. I can also use my finger (or any other passive device) to tap on the screen. This type of multi-touch allows you to quickly enter information and navigate without always relying on your digital stylus pen. I love where technology is taking us in the computing field.

eClinicalWorks, Dell, and Walmart

The eClinicalWorks package at Walmart will include Dell computers. Which Dell tablet PC will be included in the package? That's right, the expensive Dell XT2 Tablet running Microsoft Windows. No Apple tablet running OS X for those who are Mac lovers. I wonder if we'll actually get the chance to play around with an XV2 in the Walmart stores. People don't recognize the value of a tablet PC and most will probably use this convertible tablet as a notebook/laptop. However, for those who take advantage of the pen-based input system, they will quickly learn how efficient they can be by using the digital stylus. What about the ultra-mobile PC platform? Sometimes I wonder about these tiny devices and netbooks. Will they gain momentum in the healthcare field?

Tablet PCs on CSI

I don't usually watch television at home. I'm too busy blogging. However, when I'm at the gym, I'll turn on the television and watch shows like CSI (Crime Scene Investigation). Here's what draws me to the show: they use tablet PCs and other cool gadgets in the lab. You don't see many slate tablets out there among consumers. Slates are primarily used in the vertical market. However, I use a convertible Lenovo Thinkpad X200 tablet and I love it. I'm a huge fan of tablets and I think that they are underutilized in both healthcare and education. They are much more interactive than standard computers and I think we're going to see them make a comeback someday. They're gaining some traction within the medical community, but once again, this is a vertical market. Will the release of an Apple Tablet put fire back into the tablet market?

At what point is a PC too small?

We live in a world of mobile technology. We see PDAs, BlackBerrys, iPhones, Smartphones, iPods, and all sorts of other mobile devices. Computers are also getting smaller and we see young people using UMPCs, netbooks, micro PCs, and other miniature computers. But at what point is the PC so small that you fail to be productive? At what point does the small size hinder your ability to do what you need to do? How do you balance size, weight, and functionality? After all, you can probably find a PC in a very small size, and then if you look some more, you can probably find another one that's 25% larger. So how should a physician, pharmacist, or nurse decide on the size of that mobile PC when working in the clinical setting? At what point is an ultra-mobile PC too small?

MobileHealthComputing.com

I secured a new URL today: http://www.mobilehealthcomputing.com/


I've been writing about UMPCs (ultra-mobile PCs), netbooks, MIDs, PDAs, Smartphones, iPhones, iPods, tablet PCs, and other mobile devices for a while now. I thought it was time to get a new URL for my old blog that focuses on these gadgets and mobile technology in healthcare. Welcome to the world of cloud computing.

Spilled Water On a Laptop Keyboard

Well, I didn't spill the water. Thankfully, it wasn't my current Lenovo Thinkpad X200 Tablet PC (which has a spill-proof keyboard). It was my older Fujitsu P1610 Lifebook (which is a tiny device shaped like an UMPC and has a porous keyboard). I quickly unplugged it, removed the battery, and disassembled it to speed up the drying process. Thank goodness for online service manuals. I'll have to wait until tomorrow to see whether or not it will work. Fortunately, this device has become a recreational device (even though it is a convertible tablet PC with a passive touch screen). It's a great little computer that I used for a while, but I quickly realized that I needed a full-size keyboard to be more productive while I traveled for work. That's why I switched to the Thinkpad. I'll miss the p1610 if it dies, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Lenovo Pocket Yoga - A Touchscreen Netbook?

Looks like Lenovo is releasing a netbook-type of pocket notebook/UMPC that looks almost like the Sony Vaio P with a touch screen. Is that right? I wonder if this has a backlit keyboard (I doubt it). I imagine that the screen is a passive touch screen.

So, is this practical for healthcare professionals? Is this new innovation in technology applicable to the medical/healthcare industry? Will you see doctors carrying this device around the hospital and using it to run EHR/EMR applications? In the healthcare world, productivity is key. Therefore, you really need something that has a larger screen so that you can be efficient and productive with your time. However, if you're a doctor who takes call from home, this may be a great little gadget to carry around with you when you go out for social events (and you're on call). Imagine being at a restaurant or a party. You get a phone call from your intern/resident/patient, and you whip out your pocket notebook to look up labs, patient history, etc. Or, you use this to enter electronic orders. Either way, you can carry a full PC in your pocket. That's what made the OQO so popular among some healthcare professionals.

Lenovo Thinkpad X61 Tablet for $649

If you're looking for an incredible deal on a Lenovo Thinkpad X61 Tablet, now's the time to buy. You can get one for less than $649! I would suggest that you avoid the Lenovo Outlet, since your order may get delayed for weeks. The Thinkpad tablet is a solid machine and it has one of the best keyboards out there. It has consistenly been rated as one of the best convertible tablets out there. If you use an EHR/EMR, then you should try entering information on a tablet. You may fall in love with the pen interface and the easy ability to tap and click.

Apple Netbook or Tablet?

According to CNN/Money.com, it looks like Apple is preparing a netbook. Or, is it a tablet? A netbook with a touch screen? Wait, I'm confused.

I suppose no one really knows what Apple will be coming out with later this year. If it's a netbook, then I hope it's reasonably priced. Sony's Vaio P series are nice and small, but they're just way too expensive when you compare them to other netbooks on the market. I suppose the same could be said about MacBooks if you were to compare them with PC laptops.