We’ve all heard how wonderful they are: iPad-style devices, mobile computers and iPhones that keep healthcare professionals plugged in at all times.
But Panasonic, a provider of mobile computers, has just published a white paper on the “consumerization” of healthcare IT, finding that these devices may present “governance challenges,” according to a company press release.
BizTechReports, the independent research and reporting agency which conducted the study, found that 66 percent of respondents said that consumer tablets, like the iPad, can create operational problems for their organizations, including security, durability and EHR compliance.
The white paper, “Diagnosis Danger: Governance & Security Issues Cause IT Concerns About iPad in Healthcare Setting,” pinpoints “the growing concerns of healthcare IT executives trying to meet the demands to support consumer-grade computing devices.”
The study found that, “while pressure to adopt and integrate technologies, like consumer tablets,” is building, concerns are also, revealing that “74 percent of respondents said consumer-grade tablets present challenges for entering data into enterprise-grade healthcare applications,” according to the press release. Another 66 percent of participants said “providing technical support on consumer-grade tablets raises IT costs.”
“Consumer-grade technology, like the iPad and many of the other tablets we see entering the market today, were not designed to operate or survive in commercial environments like healthcare,” said Panasonic’s Greg Davidson, executive business development manager, in the press release. “We agree the form factor has great potential, but wanted to better understand the concerns of IT professionals in the healthcare market. The study we commissioned allows us to better understand our customer’s needs and is a useful tool for any healthcare organization interested in deploying tablet technology.”
A key concern is that, in a healthcare environment, the likelihood of a mobile device falling, being dropped or soiled, is high, according to the press release, adding that “consumer-grade technologies are not designed to operate or to survive for long in such a rugged setting.”
Yet Dr. Jeffrey Westcott, cardiology board chair at Swedish Medical Center, a four-hospital complex in Seattle, sees only iPad pluses. He uses his to educate patients on their conditions and treatment, and he’s even seen it save a life, according to a story by David F. Carr at informationweek.com.
Government Health IT recently said in an article that the healthcare field must harness “these assets – cautiouslyAmong other recommendations, she suggests that organizations “balance usability, preferences, security, and budgetary concerns. . . adopt written terms of use with employees and contractors using personal devices in their work. . . built-in encryption of all communication streams to prevent data leakage during configuration and deployment processed.”,” Christina Thielst writes.
Using these safeguards, healthcare organizations should fine it useful, and safe, to use mobile devices, she writes.
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Deborah DiSesa Hirsch is an award-winning health and technology writer who has worked for newspapers, magazines and IBM in her 20-year career. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.Edited by
Rich Steeves
