Mobile devices are an important medical tool at one hospital

The staff at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, is at the forefront of using mobile devices to access electronic medical records.

Over the past few years, Beth Israel has encouraged mobile device usage by instituting a policy allowing its staff to purchase their own devices and use them at the hospital. Devices do have to comply with the hospital’s security requirements, such as password protection and data encryption.  
 

According to John Halamka, Beth Israel’s chief information officer, clinicians use different devices based on their role and needs. Physicians prefer using iPads or other tablets because the large keyboard allows them to easily enter data into patients’ records. The large screen also lets them show patients their charts or x-rays. Nurses prefer iPhones to view charts and tables, and to scan bar codes on patient medication.

The hospital’s emergency department has also been using the wearable Google Glass device to look up a patients’ medical records while examining them.

A growing number of clinicians at other health centers are also adopting mobile device usage. According to a recent study by medical software company Epocrates, 41% of respondents reported using mobile devices in practice.

Mobile device usage will likely rise as more medical students are trained to use them. Georgetown University requires its medical students be competent using handheld computers, and this fall George Washington University plans on offering its first-year medical students iPads.