The Evolution Of Mobile Hardware - Health Care and Tablet PCs

What's working for hospitals with Mobile computing...fairly in depth article that goes over the selection not only of tablets, but also PDAs, how they are selected, being used, and the training input from the hospitals...the one hospital is right up front noting the physicians do want performance, and I can agree there, as many need the power to run dictation software and just the availability to chart faster...not all tablets are created equal and thus those with single unit processors might not suit the needs of the physician on the go with several areas where the device is needed...inside a facility whereby everything is connected internally, lower CPU units may work fine...BD

....But after full implementation began, some staff members were a little intimidated by all the new functionality of the Tablet PCs.
“We purchased the devices because we didn’t want physicians to purchase one that wouldn’t work at both hospitals. There’s only a limited amount that will,” she says. “But sometimes physicians want the latest and greatest hardware, so they can still purchase their own device and we will try to work with it.”
“Our organization made the decision to not push the tablet features on our staff,” he says. “But if they want to learn, we will teach them and let them use the hardware that way.” So far, San Diego Hospice & Pallative Care has purchased 223 of the convertible devices but hasn’t yet introduced them to all staff members.
Despite an early mixed reception, the provider wants to continue offering the Tablet PC functionality because it hopes to use the devices for other applications, such as to enable patients to sign care authorizations, Hahn says.
For example, its pre-op department nurses prefer to use the Tablet PCs to handwrite notes in their surgical system, also from Cerner. And others like the enhanced mobility they get with the smaller form factor. We will purchase more Tablet PCs, but the majority of charting is done on the mobile carts,” Smith says. “It’s not always going to work with one device. So you have to offer multiple types.”