The iPad and the Health Care Industry

When Apple unveiled the iPad in January, the tablet device was touted as revolutionizing the way in which we experience the web, email, photos, video, games, and books.  In the long list of tasks that were to be transformed by the iPad, absent in Apple's initial announcement was healthcare.  Nonetheless, the iPad could hold promise as a new tool for both healthcare workers and patients.

At its launch on Saturday, iPad had over one hundred medical applications, and the device promises to run almost all of those apps designed for the iPhone and iTouch.  (That's almost 5000 apps, from drug reference manuals, to prescription reminders to calorie trackers.)

While much of the hype around the iPad labels the device as something for media consumption, an indication that its adoption might be limited to personal use, the iPad does hold potential for health care workers, particularly those interested in mobile computing devices.  The iPad is lightweight and easy to use; it has WiFi access, touchscreen capabilities, a 9" screen and could fulfill a number of key tasks:  note-taking, medical reference, and prescription, image and file storage and sharing.

The drawbacks of the iPad for the health industry echo some of the general concerns about the device:  no camera, no USB connection for connecting external devices (like barcode scanners), and no multitasking.  Add to these disadvantages several that pertain to specifically healthcare workers:  the iPad does not offer fingerprint security; there is no easy method to disinfect it; it is not liquid-resistant; it just too large to fit in a lab-coat pocket -- all potential deal-breakers in a hospital setting.

While the access to Apple's substantial library of applications might give the device a headstart over other mobile computing devices, it remains to be seen as to whether or not health care professionals will adopt the iPad and whether or not it will be, as it was touted in January, a "game-changer."  Certainly, smartphone usage has greatly increased among health care workers, and surveys indicate that many are interested in adopting a tablet.  One of the key markets for Apple has always been education, and both medical students (and consumers trying to educate themselves) are likely to find the iPad useful.  But will the iPad become the health care field's mobile computing tool of choice?

Of course, revolutionizing healthcare wasn't part of Steve Jobs's initial promise about the iPad changing "everything."  However, as developers create new applications for this new device and as other companies develop similar tablet devices, tools like the iPad do have much potential for both health care consumers and professionals.