Tablet Technology Attracts Doctors With Portability, Medical Apps

Doctor with tabletConstantly advancing technology enables the medical profession to continually improve and evolve, and the recent incorporation of tablet technology into the medical field is no exception. The U.S. government's "Meaningful Use" program enables doctors to claim Medicare and Medicaid expenses to purchase tablet devices in order to reduce paper use for patient records. Many physicians find tablets, such as the iPad or Android tablet computer, and smartphones to be more convenient and cutting-edge than laptops, which are cumbersome compared to the other devices.

Tablets Increasingly Common Among Doctors

A recent study by QuantiaMD reported that tablets are progressively prevalent among doctors. In fact, 80 percent of doctors own a tablet device capable of downloading applications, compared to the 50 percent of U.S. consumers who own smartphones and 5 percent who own tablets. The numbers don't stop at ownership; 30 percent of physicians use tablet devices (compared to 5 percent of U.S. consumers), and 19 percent use their device in a clinical setting.

It's not just young doctors who are using tablet technology; the interest in the devices holds steady across all years of practice. According to the survey, 19 percent of physicians in practice 31 years or more use a tablet in their work while 20 percent of physicians in practice less than 10 years use a tablet.

There's an App For That

The following are a few of the medical apps and programs that tablet devices now offer:

  • Japan's Ohashi Clinic developed an app allowing physicians to read EKGs instantly instead of waiting for paper records.
  • Resolution MD Mobile's app lets doctors scan stroke victims' brains with their tablet device.
  • The drug reference Epocrates offers a tablet version.

The No. 1 feature that surveyed physicians desire is to be able to access Electronic Medical Records from their tablet.

The Future of Tablet Technology

All of the advances in tablet technology raise new concerns about patient privacy and liability. As the technology improves, app security will become increasingly important. Nonetheless, tablet devices enable doctors to access information with speed and ease that laptops do not.