Your Next Computer

“Your Next Computer” was the feature article in the October 8, 2008 issue of InformationWeek (www.informationweek.com). This article dealt with the question, “Is the smartphone the new laptop? Can we really ditch our Windows-powered portables when we travel, in favor of BlackBerry, iPhone, Windows Mobile or Symbian–powered hand sets?”

Many business professionals are exploring the option of leaving their laptop at home when they travel. If they can lighten their load and still access their company data, customer relationship software and other tools that are needed by the business professional, why not?

If business professionals can use smartphones as tools to increase their time spent with customers, then surely we in healthcare can find a way to help maximize our time and efficiency with our patients. One example of an institution that is way ahead of the technology curve is Doylestown Hospital, a community medical center located near Philadelphia.

The hospitals web site discusses their transition to the use of a smartphone by their physicians in order to gain “access to patient’s vital stats, medical reference applications, and breaking health alerts to provide collaborative and efficient patient care.” The iPhone (www.apple.com/iphone/enterprise/doylestown.html) allowed the physician staff access to the hospital’s electronic medical record system (MEDITECH Client Server 6.0) through the Safari browser, which required secure authentication and provided audit-trail security.