Apple Inc.’s iPad advertisement has been buzzing across various channels promoting it for its features that will support health care professionals in their work. The advertisement shows medical imaging as one of the primary features that medical practitioners can use on iPads. It makes one wonder how can such an electronic device be sterilised and used in an operating chamber, where everything is carefully disinfected.
If we try to scrutinize Apple’s iPad, it may have its own shortcomings if we thought it could revolutionise medical care. It does potential for storing Medical Records on an electronic platform. Certain software aspects of the iPad need to be modified and upgraded to make usable for the medical fraternity.
To suit the needs of medical practitioners voice recognition coupled with audio input software with the ability to transcribe and record everything would be a revolutionising feature. As most of the time when doctors are attending to patients, it is difficult to take notes while examining them or even when both the hands are occupied during an operation. Also an intelligent tablet must be able to identify and update patient history through patient’s voice records and photos taken during examination. Accessory hardware can measure temperature and blood pressure through iPad and also sort it with individual patient records.
The form of the tablet should be such that it can sustain the medical worlds’ requirements without being too heavy to handle and sturdy at the same time. Often patients complain that physicians do not give them adequate attention while tending to them. Hence, it would always be an advantage if the tablet is such that will allow the doctor enough freedom to interact with the patient and also enable them to maintain eye-contact during the session. It is very important that the doctor must not struggle to operate the tablet wasting unnecessary time behind jotting down notes and prescription all through.
Battery life of a typical tablet used in a health care set up must at least last continuously through one average shift schedule of a medical practitioner. Several tablet devices available in the market provide 10-12 hours of battery usage time from a single charge but this time keeps reducing with continuous usage of the device. Battery life must be enhanced so as to sustain the longevity of the device as the dependency factor would also increase eventually with regular use at work by the personnel.
Since, the device is attractive and portable at the same time; it becomes an easy target for theft. Hence the tablet must have security built in to take care of the data and records along with the device itself. Most health care tablets are highly over priced due to their software and hardware capabilities making them far more expensive than a high end notebook which inevitably will work in building Apple’s goodwill amidst the health care fraternity. The apple tablet costs around $1,000, medical practitioners might actually find this a cost effective option for their work as compared to several other products in the market. It is also a safe bet to keep track of upcoming products in the same gadget range; they may offer a competitive pricing edge over iPad.
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