Healthcare Tablet Computing

The above trailer is from the movie field of dreams. The basic premise is that Kevin Costner's character is driven to build a baseball field in the middle of a corn field, in hopes that people or rather "they" will come.

I felt that this trailer was appropriate for the blog for this reason. Right now infrastructure is being built to allow for major changes in the healthcare tablet computing marketplace. Once the groundwork is built will they (people) use it. That is a very interesting question that I will attempt to start answering here.

Access is a big deal. This relates to the ease of access to devices and systems by those that will use it. If a system is easy to use, but there is one terminal for 100 people, no one will be able to use it. It is imperative that enough are available for those to use it.

Is it Cool???? This is a very loaded question. One would argue that it does not matter if its cool or not, but when it comes to technology as of late the cool factor is one that really matters. For example Oprah, who happens to drive sales and use of almost anything she touches previously supported the Amazon Kindle device. She recently supported the iPad and talked of its great virtues. This will do nothing but bolster the sales and hype of the device. While some would argue that its a quip against Amazon and the Kindle, and great for Apple, it is much more than that. There is this theory in Hollywood that good or bad, publicity is still publicity. As long as they are talking about you its a good thing.

In terms of tablet computing as a whole the more they talk about any device the better everyone is in the end. As the public moves forward with the hype and buzz around the new iPad all it will take is another player to introduce something on the heels of the iPad to keep the buzz going.

Is it easy to use is another question that must be considered as well. There will be more than enough training needed for the systems to be successful, but at first glance can most people get how they are supposed to use it. That seems like a very trivial question, but it goes a long long way to gaining acceptance and then further adoption amongst those that will need to use it.

For example, I have a friend that was anti-iPhone from the day I received mine (first generation 3 years ago). He was so pro Windows Mobile, that he never really considered the iPhone as a viable option for him or his family. With each iteration that the iPhone went through he had more questions for me about if it could do X, or how was Y done, and what about A, B, and C. Eventually all of his questions were answered and when he saw just the sheer ease of use and the potential he not only bought one for himself last summer, he bought one for his wife as well. This is a huge testament to the interface and cool factor of the device, but mostly due to its ease of use. Had the device been difficult to use, he would have never considered it for his wife, and would have been much more hesitant to get one for himself.

As the infrastructure continues to be built and new items are released, if they can focus on the three questions that are posed above users will be willing to give it a shot. If they can focus on these three along with the questions that will be posed in the next post healthcare tablet computing will be the next big thing.

The choice to cover tablet computing was very easy for me. I have always had a very interesting relationship with the tablet computing form factor since college (~2000). Since that time the tablet form factor has changed significantly.

The first tablet I ever experienced was an HP convertible (convertertible because it could be setup like a traditional laptop and then folded / contorted to appear like a screen only tablet as well) very similar to the one pictured here. This machine was given to students studying mechanical engineering at MIT so that they were able to better design elements of their engines for an applied project. At that time I was able to use tablets that friends obtained through the project, but often the issues I encountered then back in 2000 continue today. Those issues are: speed, performance, interface, and reliability. I wanted the table to be more than it was able to be back then. I tried the pen interface and handwriting recognition, but often got frustrated with its ability to discern what I wrote effectively. Also the necessity of carrying and using both a pen and a keyboard got frustrating for me as well. So soon after using the full laptop tablets I resorted to the PDA devices that were much more common at the time.

Moving forward 5 - 6 years, my experience with computers expanded as did the tablet computing options. At this time the idea of UMPC, or the Ultra Mobile PC, became very prevalent. I researched this topic for a paper written while at Johns Hopkins University that I will post excerpts from later in PDF format to the blog that will show how the early UMPC's were nothing more than smaller tablet PCs. The UMPC was to be the next big thing in computing, but unfortunately it never took off. It never gained the foothold in the industry needed to garner support and widespread distribution. One website, UMPC Portal, still operates and is able to offer those interested in UMPCs information and places where they can be purchased and upgraded.

Currently tablet computing is really big. It seems to get larger daily and with the recent introduction of the iPad from Apple it will only get larger. A quick Google search revealed 7.2 Million entries for tablet computing when searched and the iPad was the first device mentioned.

So here is where the real question gets asked. Why Healthcare Tablet Computing? Well the answer to that is not that simple. The Healthcare industry as a whole is in a great transition currently. When looking at what has just happened in Washington concerning Healthcare reform, much more integration of technology is required for the future. Tablets and other devices will play a large role in this transition and I felt that this topic should be covered in much more detail than it is currently.

This blog will examine the current trends in healthcare computing related to tablets, and what the future could and should be.