Can you imagine viewing an x-ray or an MRI on the iPad and using the multi-touch gestures to zoom and pan. Pretty cool - a lot cooler that my doctor's old clipboard.
hospitals eye Apple's new hardware
According to The Sacramento Bee, some hospitals are experimenting with tablet-style computers, and Apple's iPad is now on their radar. It quoted an official with nonprofit managed care organization Kaiser Permanente who said tablet computers could help doctors and nurses spend more time with patients.
In a San Francisco-based program dubbed 'Destination Bedside,' officials hope to provide superior care by giving hospital workers tablets that would provide X-rays, charts, prescriptions and notes all on one device at the tap of the finger. The company expects to settle on one tablet for company-wide distribution later this year.
And in the running is Apple's iPad, thanks in part to the popularity of the iPhone. But until the iPad can be tested for real-world use in the hospitals, officials are keeping their options open. One touchscreen device called the Motion C5, controlled by a stylus, has been in trial.
Dr. Javeed Siddiqui, associate medical director for the Center for Health and Technology at UC Davis Medical Center, told the Bee he's excited by the potential the iPad offers for the medical industry.
'It's portable and it's lightweight,' he said. 'It has touch screen, a Web browser -- and all those features can be utilized as a way to integrate technology in patient care.'
The real potential for the iPad in the medical field will lie in the ability to write custom applications for the hardware. In addition to a number of bundled applications, the iPad will have access to Apple's App Store, which now offers more than 140,000 different options.
Health care workers excited about the possibilities won't have to wait long for Apple's iPad.
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