How iPads Emerged as a Potential Tool in Healthcare and Medicine
IPads in healthcare sector has gained popularity because of their ease-of-use and the ability to simplify patient services and operational tasks. It has added tremendous value to the industry by providing services like quick patient registration, easy form filling, customer reception with iPad healthcare kiosk, record-keeping, maintaining patient information, patient engagement and patient care.
With technological advancements digital tools are being added to the healthcare sector from time to time. These modern solutions make life easier for medical professionals by improving patient experiences.
In recent times iPads have been incorporated by many healthcare organisations as part of a shift to paperless systems. IPads have gained popularity because of their convenient portability and the user friendly operating system.
For a matter of fact, bulk iPads purchasing have been widely accepted by the hospital staff and patients alike.
How are iPads used By Health Service Providers?
Most of the health service providers have shifted their focus towards the use of several apps on the iPad for different purposes. For example there are apps to connect hospitalised children with their school classrooms. Certain apps are used to provide language interpretation services for staff members to communicate with patients.
There are apps used as telemedicine tools for mothers to bond with their new-born babies in neonatal ICU incubators.
Certain hospitals have purchased iPads in bulk and equipped them with a menu selection app for patients to change their meal orders. This increased the speed and accuracy of meal ordering along with significant cost savings in food purchasing and wastage.
iPads during COVID-19 Pandemic
With the need to practice social distancing and safer working practices during the coronavirus pandemic, iPads have evolved in hospitals helping the frontline environments amid pandemic.
The healthcare providers rolled out iPad devices to enable virtual visiting as a safe way for family members to communicate and keep in touch with patients. Nurses use the video conferencing apps such as FaceTime to connect patients with their family and friends to boost the spirits of their loved ones in the hospital ward.
The iPads are well suitable to the health care sector and hospital environments because of its flexibility to move between wards and easy accessibility to staff and patients. Apple has been continuously upgrading the iPad software and has added numerous medical apps.
Therefore its focus has shifted towards developing technology solutions for healthcare that deliver better care experiences for patients. The role of iPads in healthcare is expected to expand in years to come.
Use of iPads in Hospital Reception
The use of static iPads can easily navigate patients and visitors towards the correct ward. In hospital reception the iPads act as information kiosks and are positioned in the information and reception area. Its main use is to provide information to patients, guests and visiting staff about the services and the location they need to attend.
This in turn reduces the pressure on reception staff simply by providing a kiosk that offers all the information and can also answer the frequently asked questions.
iPads for Patient Registration and Doctor’s Round
It has been observed that paperwork in hospitals is one of the most time-consuming elements of the healthcare system for patients as well as medical professionals. Therefore many hospitals have replaced the clipboard and pen with iPads as a way to register new patients.
Use of iPads is a much more efficient and effective way to capture all the essential information about patients. It is less error-prone and the staff can have it immediately at hand.
As time passed by, iPad became the tool of choice for doctors as they realized they could use it to access hospital records. Therefore the hospitals prefer to buy iPads in bulk and distribute it to their staff so that they can carry their own iPad and use it.
Use of iPads to Improve Patient Care
As of now the iPads have been given to some patients so that they use it to access information about their illness, find out about the side effects of their medications, review their medical information, and message relevant staff at times.
New parents are also allowed to Facetime their premature new-borns as they are usually not able to see their baby for a few days after their birth.
iPads for Entertainment and Food Ordering
Apart from patient welfare and record keeping these iPads also work to improve the efficiency of daily operations. It has a feature that allows patients to order food. The iPad is tuned to specific diet and allergies of the individual patients so that they only see foods they can eat.
It also provides access to patients to watch movies and shows along with few games with specific educational and safety focus.
How can iPads be Crucial Health Care Tools?
Hospitals are deploying tablets and smartphones to protect staff, preserve protective equipment, and help patients connect with their loved ones. For example, Covid-19 patients rest in rooms equipped with iPads in their isolation wards.
The hospital nurses can use these iPads as devices to check on and communicate with their patients without the need of wearing masks, gloves, and other protective gear. This in turn reduces the risk of exposing the frontline workers to the virus.
iPads in Medical Education
Recently medical schools are shifting towards to iPad as the main platform for delivering the curriculum to students. Initially it started as an initiative to make campuses greener, but it also provides other benefits like cost savings and improvements to the learning process.
Several medical schools have also given their students an iPad and an external wireless keyboard. With the use of iPads the students will no longer receive printed course materials. Therefore, iPads will be the primary source of medical teaching in several medical institutions.
Conclusion
As hospitals and healthcare services are shifting to technology-based solutions, it is expected that over the coming years more iPads will be employed across the healthcare sector.
The technology companies are also investing towards development of applications that work to improve the experience of health service providers as well as the patient.
iPads in the healthcare is expected to revolutionize the healthcare and the caregiving sector. Doctors, nurses and hospital staff use iPads that can act as a storehouse of important hospital data and sensitive patient information.
