Could the iPad mini finally be the perfect medical tablet?

Posted by durangojim on October 23, 2012 02:41 pm 14

As a family physician, my patients often ask me why I don't use an iPad in my office to input data, aside from various factors such as incompatibility with various electronic medical records systems, the biggest factor, to me, is that it's too large. In my office, I primarily use a net book in the exam room to print out patients' scripts and perform some simpler tasks. At my desk I have a full size laptop that I use to input the data pertaining to that patient's visit, demographics, vitals, etc. Trying to do that on a tablet without a physical keyboard is tedious at best. I've never been happy with the net book as it has poor battery life and is cumbersome. Now after the introduction of the iPad mini, I find myself intrigued with the ability to fit the device in my lab coat pocket and can hopefully streamline my processes. My biggest hope is that this will allow me to pay more attention to the patient than that of staring at the net book screen.