Tablet PCs:

Are they the right medicine for you?

Michele L. Hales
University of Alberta
Edmonton, AB CANADA

January 22, 2004 Chennai, India

 Tablets
 Many systems out there
 Compaq Computer
 Acer
 Tatung
 Fujitsu
 NEC
 Toshiba
 Slate-like vs. convertible tablets
 A PC that is virtually limitless
 Will find its place as the most popular form of PC
 Advantages of Tablets
 Portability
 Can be used by large numbers of people who
cannot type
 Lightweight (size of a legal file folder)
 Large enough to show charts, graphs, and even
radiological images
 It's faster, and more mobile a laptop
 Some tablets can run 10-16 hours on a single
charge
 Real-time mobility
 Three Means of Data Input
1) You can write notes that are
automatically converted to typewritten
text or saved as handwriting
2) You can dictate into the tablet, and your
speech is converted into text
3) If you want to type, fold back the tablet
screen to reveal a keyboard
 “Rich Digital Ink”
Rich digital ink can be:
 Edited
 Searched
 Sent as email
 Manipulated the same way as word
processed text
 Where is it going?
 Increase use by doctors and healthcare workers,
either as stand-alone tools or as an integrated
EPR/EMR system.
 Evidence Based Medicine (EBM)
 Will become an integral part of one’s practice.
 Tablets will accelerate physician adoption of
EMRs
 Applications/Software
 Electronic Medical Records (EMR)
 EMR, Tablets & Mobility
Office
 Physicians, PAs, nurses and office staff have
easy access to add, edit or update patient records

Home
 Freedom to view patient charts and search for
information without going to the office

Hospital
 Take your patient records with you to the hospital
using your Tablet and update patient charts while
at the hospital.
 EMR Abilities
 Taking notes
 Creating referral letter
 Printing medical prescriptions
 Generating patient reports
 Ordering lab tests
 Viewing results
 Benefits of EMR
 More efficient communication
 Download appointment schedules
 Transmit and access critical patient information
 Facilitates more rapid response to clinical deterioration
 Prevention of errors and adverse events
 Refill prescriptions and reduce errors due to illegible
handwriting
 Monitors dangerous drug contraindications
 Capture photos of patient's condition and transmit them
to colleague for second opinion
 Access to information when visiting housebound patients
 Tracks billing data and charge captures
 Tracks adverse events
 Applications/Software
 Electronic Medical Records (EMR)
 Billing Interface Software
 Applications/Software
 Electronic Medical Records (EMR)
 Billing Interface Software
 Schedulers
 Scheduling Software
Manage your patient schedules.

Keep track of:

 Check-in time
 Time of visit
 Check-out times
 Exam rooms
 Patient cancellations
 Patient rescheduling
 Applications/Software
 Electronic Medical Records (EMR)
 Billing Interface Software
 Schedulers
 Guidelines & Protocols
 Applications/Software
 Electronic Medical Records (EMR)
 Billing Interface Software
 Schedulers
 Guidelines & Protocols
 Drug Databases
 Applications/Software
 Electronic Medical Records (EMR)
 Billing Interface Software
 Schedulers
 Guidelines & Protocols
 Drug Databases
 Medical Dictionaries
 Applications/Software
 Electronic Medical Records (EMR)
 Billing Interface Software
 Schedulers
 Guidelines & Protocols
 Drug Databases
 Medical Dictionaries
 Medical Calculators
 Applications/Software
 Electronic Medical Records (EMR)
 Billing Interface Software
 Schedulers
 Guidelines & Protocols
 Drug Databases
 Medical Dictionaries
 Medical Calculators
 Access your library database
 Survey: Tablet PCs Favoured at
Bedside January 2, 2004
Tablet PCs are the best mobile hardware for
clinicians at the point of care -
 58% of respondents said Tablet PCs
worked best at the bedside
 29% said PDAs are a better mobile
hardware choice for clinicians at the point
of care

November 2003 Mobile Opinions survey by Mobile Health Data

 Not just for Physicians
Hospitals’ nursing staff -
 Nurses have started using Tablet PCs
loaded with medication management
software to ensure proper dispensing of
medications to patients
 Within the hospital setting, errors have
been caught in the dispensing of
medication
 Tablet PC's at RSNA
At the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) 89th
Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting in Chicago held
last December, Tablet PCs played a significant role with
multiple educational exhibits and presentations. 

Educational Exhibits and Presentations include:

 Tablet PC for Wireless-Acute, Bedside-Acute Clinical
Image Distribution
 Pen-based Interaction for Workflow Optimization in a
High Throughput Imaging Environment
 Mobile Access to PACS through Secure Wireless Tablet
PC
 Wireless Tablets and PDAs as a Vehicle for Radiology,
Multimedia Report Information to Clinicians Anytime,
Anywhere
 Research Environment
 Rapidly collect information for clinical trials
 Ease of access to your research
databases
 Versatility, flexibility and mobility offered to
investigators
 Resources for the Healthcare
Professional
 Doctors Gadgets –
www.doctorsgadgets.com
 Health·IT World -
www.imakenews.com/health-itworld/
 Mobile Healthcare The Handheld
Healthcare Authority -
www.mobilehealthdata.com
 Windows XP Tablet PC Edition Healthcare
Case Studies -
www.microsoft.com/WindowsXP/tabletpc/evalu
 Benefits
Pen input
 Allows for the annotation
of patient information
Speech input
 Increases text input
speed and frees hands
Wireless networking
 Provides access to
information throughout
the hospital or clinic
Digital camera
 Allows for immediate
documentation
Digital document readers
 Keeps all reading
materials in one place
Calendar/Scheduler
 Keeps life organized
 Merck – Tablet PC

Source: www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/tabletpc/evaluation/casestudies/casestudy.asp?CaseStudyID=13546
 Summary
 Provides Flexible, Versatile, Natural Ways
to Work
 Maximizes Productivity
 Improves Collaboration
 Improves One-on-One Communication
 Eliminates Expensive Hard Wiring of
Computer Workstations throughout your
Hospital
The NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL of MEDICINE
Special Article

Patient Safety
Improving Safety with Information Technology

David W. Bates, M.D. and Atul A. Gawande, M.D., M.P.H.

N Engl J Med 2003;348:2526-34.