Apple seems to be quite pro-active in its attempt at giving everyone access to an iPad. In the past few years the company moved quite aggressively to get into the education sector with some mixed results, and now several US hospitals have started rolling out these tablets to patients with extended hospital stays, in a bid to give them more access to their health data.
Doctors have found that having access to mobile devices has helped them keep track of patients and their progress; in the past, this documentation could more easily be lost, or some miscommunication could occur when the wrong information was written on a patient's chart. Devices like Microsoft's Surface line and Apple's iPads have been very successful during this transition, and doctors have also used online tools to give their patients access to information and notes, so the transition to an iPad for every patient isn't such a big step for many.
Hospitals like Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, and others, have seen great results, all fitting into Apple's move into health care, by giving the same access to patients, in a bid to help them understand their care better. Patients have responded by saying that they feel reassured having the information available when they want it, but it isn't something they necessarily need, according to TechCrunch, who did several interviews at the hospitals rolling out these devices.
In other parts of the hospital, they utilized these tablets as a way to link the mother and baby together when there is a premature birth or some other condition that requires isolation, by allowing the mother to 'FaceTime' their child. It remains to be seen how successful this will be in hospitals around the world, as these devices are quite costly. The hospitals have to deal with security concerns as well when giving patients these devices; however, it doesn't seem to have had much of an impact.
Apple has made several strides in the healthcare market, with the introduction of HealthKit, its Apple Watch and its Device Enrollment Program streamlining this process, making it easier for hospitals and healthcare professionals to communicate with their patients in and out of the hospital.
Source: TechCrunch | Image via Apple
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