iPad May Become Important Nursing Tool

iPad May Become Important Nursing Tool

iPad May Become Important Nursing Tool

Tablet computers like Apple's new iPad may soon replace traditional pen and paper for keeping patient charts and other bedside medical records. So reports the Sacramento Bee in a recent story about a pilot program at Kaiser Permanente's hospital in Sacramento, California, an experiment with nationwide implications.

In Sacramento, Kaiser is conducting a pilot program dubbed "Operation Bedside" in which a number of pre-iPad e-tablet models are being tested to replace traditional handwritten charts and records. Not only do the tablets do away with the eternal problem of unreadable handwriting (which can lead to a host of medical errors), but they allow doctors and nurses to save, share and duplicate patient records at literally the touch of a button. The technology can also be used to call up test results, view medical scans and import records from other sources. Unlike traditional laptop computers, the tablets are lighter weight, easier to handle in a standing position and can be more easily swabbed down for disinfecting.

The Bee article noted that many doctors and nurses are already used to using iPhones and other "smart phones" to view and share patient information. The tablets have the advantage of more computing power and a significantly larger screen.

Although not part of Kaiser's current pilot program, the newly released Apple iPad is reportedly a serious contender for any nationwide roll-out of this e-tablet concept.

The Obama Administration is putting considerable focus on the need to convert from paper to electronic records as part of its comprehensive health care reform initiative. Kaiser's e-tablet program fits nicely into that scenario and will likely be studied by many other hospitals and healthcare providers as a way to improve patient care while increasing overall efficiency.

New devices are constantly changing the health care industry and in nursing schools. Through technological advances in nursing tools, doctors and nurses can better assist their patients.

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