Better apps needed for healthcare tablet adoption

Many experts and industry pundits have dubbed tablets the best thing for enterprises since sliced bread. With the devices' enhanced computing power and portability, many have said, employees can leverage a tablet to remain productive while away from their desk.

So far, however, such benefits have not taken hold within the healthcare sector, according to a recent report from CIO magazine. In speaking with several industry IT administrators, the news provider found that some work has to be done before tablets reach widespread adoption among clinicians and others in the field.

Specifically, experts told CIO, better industry-specific applications are needed.

As it stands, much of the software leveraged by physicians has been designed for desktop computers. Little in the way has been done to translate the apps to mobile devices and many end-users are finding it a difficult transition.

"The clinical app takes up a lot of screen real estate so you can get the big picture view of the patient," Seattle Children's Hospital CTO Wes Wright told CIO magazine. "The app is very point-and-click, mouse-and-keyboard driven."

At the Seattle hospital, several clinicians were given tablets under a pilot program. The thinking was that the doctors could bring the devices into the examination rooms while visiting with patients. But it didn't quite work out that way.

"Every one of the clinicians returned the iPad, saying that it wasn't going to work for day-to-day clinical work," Wright said, adding that the apps were the main culprit for the program's failure.

But this certainly isn't the end of the line for the modern tablet. The healthcare industry has been using similar devices called slates for some time now and has showcased a willingness to continue to do so.

That means that tablet adoption could pick up once better, industry-specific software is developed for the devices. When that occurs, healthcare providers will want to ensure a mobile application management solution is used to track their use and effectiveness so clinicians are enjoying their benefits.

Though Apple is still not not gearing devices directly toward the enterprise sector, healthcare is one vertical that the company continues to focus on with the iPad, according to a recent GigaOm report. That's evidenced by the fact the company employs a medical marketing manager tasked with selling the devices to healthcare providers.