Survey points out that there is a strong demand for tablets
As a Software Advice survey points out, interest in tablet computers has been very strong across the healthcare industry, even though the iPad is devoid of certain significant features that physicians wish it had. The survey pointed out that more than half of the respondents were either very likely or somewhat likely to opt for a tablet sometime in the following year.
The physicians contacted by the survey expressed a wish to use the tablet for notes, prescription drug reference, lab orders, clinical decision support, medical image viewing, e-mail, e-prescribing and a host of other tasks. The number one reason for choosing the tablet turned out to be ease-of-use, closely followed by software and durability.
The iPhone operating system from iPad scores high in the ease-of-use factor. However, physicians have pointed out that the current App Store excludes comprehensive software required to manage electronic medical records (EMRs). We will have to wait to find out whether the additional capabilities that the iPad has promised lead to the developers creating a new utility in future. There are already a wider range of advanced software titles offered for the healthcare industry that are compatible with traditional notebooks, however traditional notebooks do not offer the ease-of-use and portability that the iPad and iPhone offer. The physicians who participated in the survey revealed that the second most important addition they desired was resistance to dust and liquids. The iPad, in its native form, does not have a high level of protection against rugged environments. That being said as with the iPhone third parties are already working to create accessories to accompany the iPad. A number of other important features, including barcode scanning, fingerprint access, integrated camera and RFID reader, are missing in the iPad.
It is a wasted effort to try to shoehorn a desktop OS into a tablet. This has already been attempted by Microsoft only to discover there just isn’t a market for it. A respondent to the survey also pointed out that a modal interface, like that of the iPhone, is more appropriate for touch-screen use which makes it more sensible for use in the healthcare system.
At this stage, when the market is yet to witness the arrival of the iPad, one can’t be certain how it is going to fare in respect to its competitors that are set for release later this year. According to analytical forecasts, the device expected to sell over 10 million units by 2011.
