[telemedicine] Report: Mobile Health Devices Don't Pass the Test--Yet

[Medical Informatics News]

According to a recent report by Spyglass
Consulting Group, while opatient and hospital clinicians have different preferences when it comes to mobile
health devices, both groups feel that* the current batch of*available products are inadequate. The report
was reviewed earlier this week in eWeek.

“Healthcare Without Bounds: Trends in Mobile Computing” details the results of a study conducted by
Spyglass in late 2004. About 100 practicing clinicians at health care institutions nationwide were interviewed. The
core subject was the use of handheld technology in the health care industry. Reportedly, no outside funding was used
to fund the research.


Over half of those interviewed said PDA screen size and data entry methods limit its use in clinical work. For the
Tablet PC, size, weight and battery life were the problems cited most often.


Tablet PCs were favored for more complex applications. Ninety-eight percent said the PDA is the mobile device used
for simple tasks like looking up usage or formulary information. However, this declined to only 48 percent for tasks
like managing data for specific patients. Outpatient providers are much more open to using the heavier Tablet PC.
Overall, 20 percent of those surveyed use Tablet PCs, up over fourfold from a similar survey in 2003.*



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