It seems simple. Patient walks in, you hand them an iPad. But yet the simple step can save healthcare organizations thousands of dollars of staff time. A new trend in healthcare involves
using tablet computers for patient admissions. Rather than recording or
converting paper admission forms, admission staff can now hand tablets directly
to patients. This type of system automatically inputs and updates
patient data to a central record. This process also allows offices to present
information to patients through written, video, or other interactive media
formats.
An EMR system can only be as good as its usage within the healthcare organization. The government has its eye on that, and one of the reason it is insisting on meaningful use of EMR if they provide incentives is so that healthcare organizations will put EMR into the workflow right away. Handheld devices, Kalorama have found are the only realistic way of doing this.
In a survey of over 20 large volumehospitals in the United States, Kalorama Information found there to be a
growing use of handhelds in the delivery of healthcare—starting with
admissions. Patients have reported the
use of tablet PCs as more personalized, focused and efficient—compared to
paper—and as a result hospital administration have responded with future IT
plans including implementing tablet PCs, purchasing integrated RFID scanners in
multi-use handhelds, and purchasing mobile handheld equipment for care at
off-site locations.
