SAN ANTONIO -- iPads have been on the market for about a year now, revolutionizing many businesses, including health care. Doctors are embracing the technology as a way to serve their patients better.
Dr. Robin Eickhoff takes care of patients at a San Antonio WellMed Clinic. She uses the usual tools like stethoscopes and blood pressure cuffs. But this year, she’s added a new device: the iPad.
The tablet computer gives doctors the immediacy of information with the transportability of a chart. Physicians have a wealth of reference materials at their fingertips.
“I don’t have to go run to my office or I don’t have to run home and carry around these great big 20 pound textbooks,” Eickhoff explained. “I can just hit a button. It’s wonderful.”
Some of the applications are particularly useful in South Texas, like Medical Spanish.
Right now, about a quarter of WellMed’s 120 doctors are using iPads with their patients. The company is developing its own electronic medical records system. It will be online by the end of the year with information on more than 100,000 patients. It’s a multi-million dollar investment in efficiency.
“We don’t have to go back to the office,” said WellMed Medical Group President Dr. Carlos Hernandez. “We don’t have to ask them to fax us a record. We can actually pull this up in front of the patient.”
Paper charts are becoming dinosaurs. Now the technology can teach as well as store date. Many physicians predict iPads will become an important clinical tool.
“The potential is enormous,” Eickhoff stated. “It’s a very exciting time.”
The tablet computer market is growing rapidly. 17 million were shipped in 2010. This year, that number will more than double to 45 million.
