October 26, 2010
Touch screen devices and healthcare
Over the past two years since relocating to the U.S. from an extended global assignment, I have had the opportunity to get plugged into the largely consumer-driven economy that is enjoyed here in the United States. I’ve had a lot of fun re-defining the “technological me” from the assortment of devices and attachments that best serve and indulge my information needs and desires.
What should be no surprise is that we are all similar in our adoption of devices and technology that facilitate and sometimes limit our lives and our work. We want devices that guide us, connect us, keep us entertained in those ever so long elevator rides, and that ultimately define us. Just as a PC user has a different perception from a Mac user, we are our gadgets. I will argue that your car choosing decision making process is almost identical to your smart phone process.
If you were to pair your information prerequisites with workflow and interface design, it’s hard to turn down a touch screen device. Granted that it may not be conducive to writing books, long messages, or doing heavy documentation, it is pleasantly adept at helping you navigate through simple reviews of data (e-mail, recipes, sports scores, maps, etc.) The good thing is that touch screens are not isolated to only one device, with all well supported and followed platforms offering such a seducer for your index finger (and in some cases, thumb as well). You can happily tap and swipe your way through a full battery charge before you know it, connecting with friends, colleagues, clients, and partners.
Doesn’t everyone want the capability to complete at least a little of their work on their own device? The answer is overwhelmingly ‘yes’ and the clinicians among you have voted for the iPhone due to its intuitive design. Oh yes, the multitude of personal and professional applications surely played a small part in that decision as well – or let’s hope so. While the below says “doctors”, the detail in the articles is clear that there is a preference for the iPhone and all of the fun and functionality that it can deliver.
Six out of 10 doctors prefer iPhones
Study: Doctors choosing iPhone over Blackberry
At the Cerner Healthcare Conference earlier this month, we highlighted an exciting partnership made between Cerner Critical Care and AirStrip Technologies, featuring AirStrip Critical Care powered by iAware. While not a replacement strategy for the PC based clinical workstation, what this application provides will be the ability for clinicians to see real-time and documented clinical information anywhere, anytime. While there is no substitute for being in the patient room, this solution provides Critical Care Clinicians to have just enough information to make informed patient care decisions at an instant. Limited are the days of human as integrator as we leverage devices and connectivity to further improve patient care.
I look forward to further opportunities to share how the CareAware family of solutions continues to connect people to devices, devices to workflow, and workflow to outcomes – and to share some of your own success stories of how we together are improving patient care and provider experience.