After the recent release of Apple’s iPad tablet, a number of healthcare IT professionals, as well as physicians, nurses and medical students, were asked to describe what features they would like the ideal healthcare tablet to possess. As it turns out, the iPad only comes with a handful of the “must-have” components they are looking for, and it is missing some of the main features they deemed most important. Although the iPad might not be the choice for doctors and hospitals, tablet makers will be thrilled to learn that many healthcare professionals have stated they do plan to purchase and begin using a tablet this year!

In fact, many workers have said they would like to use a tablet for everything from notes and memos to medical image viewing, and from clinical decision support to e-prescribing – to name only a few! Ease of use is often the most important factor when choosing a tablet. With many physicians who regularly see 30 patients in an eight-hour day, it’s essential to be able to quickly, easily and completely document each visit. Touch screen tablets are a huge favorite, due to the accuracy of entering information this way and the high level of usability they provide. A big problem with Apple’s iPad is that most EMR software systems are not compatible with a Mac OSX operating system, and instead require a Windows-based operating system in order to function.

Some other important factors healthcare professionals often consider when choosing a tablet include: Wi-fi accessibility, resistance to dust and liquid, portability, software selection, barcode scanning capability, fingerprint access and voice-to-text dictation. The iPad does not have sealed ports and is therefore vulnerable to spills and hospital fluids, as well as dust, making it very difficult to disinfect. In addition, the iPad does not offer fingerprint access, barcode scanning or an integrated camera for documenting diagnosis. All of these issues make it very unlikely that the healthcare industry will effect widespread adoption of the iPad, although it is clear that most healthcare workers are very excited about the idea of using a tablet – we can expect to see them pop up more and more in doctor’s offices and hospitals in the coming months!