iDoctor: Sponge, Scalpel, iPad?

iDoctor: Sponge, Scalpel, iPad?

This might seem like an unusual list of items for a Doctor to request, yet according to CNBC, iPads are quickly becoming a critical tool for doctors. Doctors, who use iPads to describe conditions to patients (among other things), are increasingly find them to be indispensable to their practice.

At Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, iPads became a mainstay in patient care from day one. Describing medical conditions to patients using the graphics of iPads made maladies far more understandable to many. Additionally, a rush to use Electronic Health Records (EHR) is being fueled by a US Government program called Meaningful Use, in which doctors and hospitals can be reimbursed by Medicare and Medicaid for technology when meeting certain criteria. This, and the clarity brought to patients, is causing medical software companies to quickly scramble to get medical apps ready for the iPad and other tablets.

The iPad should benefit most from this initiative since it’s a known quantity and (as long as you’re not looking for an iPad 2) readily available. Hospitals can settle on a tablet now without waiting for what might be coming out later. This can also be a boon to the sanitizing business, since products like Lymsat are a much more elegant solution to keeping tablets clean and safe than using a Ziploc bag, which our own Erica Sadun swears by.

Check out the video below to see some iPads in action at Beth Israel Deaconess

CNBC Via TUAW, Image Credit: Obama Pacman