A number of recent surveys have indicated that the Apple iPad is the number one choice for healthcare professionals when it comes to choosing a tablet.

This is hardly surprising given the head start the iPad has had compared to its competitors (read more here) and the significant development that has gone into medical apps for the iOS platform.

This article will attempt to help decide which particular iPad is the best choice for a healthcare professional who wants to use it as part of their daily workflow.

The choices available from the Apple Store at the time of writing are as follows:

• iPad 2 3G/Wi-Fi 16GB
• iPad 2 3G/Wi-Fi 32GB
• iPad 2 3G/Wi-Fi 64GB

This article will not consider the color of each device as that is a purely aesthetic choice. When it comes to purchasing an iPad, there are three main considerations, each of which will be addressed in turn:

• Processing hardware
• Storage space
• Connectivity

Processing hardware

As tablets become more powerful, they gain the ability to run more demanding applications. This means that they are generally faster, better at multitasking and will be suitable for future software developments. The iPad 2 was a large hardware upgrade from the original iPad with an enhanced processor, more memory and two cameras amongst other features.

Due to this, the iPad 2 is recommended over the original iPad.

Storage space

The iPad 2 is available in three different sizes, 16GB, 32GB and 64GB. The average app size for iPad apps is often larger than that of iPhone apps. One of the main functions of the iPad for medical professionals is storage and reading of medical literature. It is very easy to store large numbers of PDFs and presentations using apps such as PDF Expert/GoodReader. Apps such as Dropbox store the majority of documents online, however, they still require some local storage in order to display the files.

Another storage aspect worth considering is the rise of eTextbooks. Companies such as Inkling release excellent versions of core texts, though these can take up significant amounts of space– e.g. Inkling’s version of Harissons Principles of Internal Medicine is an amazing resource however it does take 3.4GB of space.

One final consideration when it comes to storage is accessibility. This will be discussed in greater detail below. Essentially, if your hospital or workplace has excellent connectivity, the greater you will be able to rely on cloud based storage services such as Dropbox.

If your hospital has a number of deadspots or you are based in the community then chances are you will want to make greater use of local storage to ensure you have access to all your documents regardless of internet connectivity.

On the basis of this, the 32GB model is regarded as the minimum size for healthcare professionals. The 16GB model does not have enough local storage on it for it to function effectively and users with this model are likely to find themselves running out of space in the future. In an ideal world, the 64GB model with its significant amount of storage would be the ideal choice, however, this does come at a cost. Users who are keen to store lots of documents locally and other media such as videos and photos may find that this model suits their needs better.

Although not strictly medical, this info graphic from gizmodo helps illustrate the different storage sizes available.

Connectivity

The final consideration when purchasing a new iPad is connectivity. All iPads are supplied with Wi-Fi as standard but a Wi-Fi + 3G model is also available. 3G keeps you connected to the internet even when Wi-Fi isn’t available and uses the same signals your mobile phone uses. It’s available without a contract and service is sold separately. Interestingly, Wi-Fi + 3G iPads include a GPS locator which the Wi-Fi only iPads do not.

Connectivity is an integral part of many medical apps which often store information online and download it as and when required. Similarly many iPads are used to input data into EMRs which also require internet connectivity. This is vital and therefore the Wi-Fi + 3G model is recommended for healthcare professionals. There is no need to purchase a contract for 3G data if there is Wi-Fi available, though it is useful to be able to access 3G if required.

Overall Rating

Having considered each of these three main points, it is clear that the iPad recommended for healthcare professionals is the 32GB Wi-Fi + 3G model. The 16GB model is not recommended on the basis of storage whilst the 64GB is not recommended on the basis of cost. 3G connectivity is essential to ensure that internet access is maintained in case there are deadspots in the hospital. The 32GB model should be more than adequate for the majority of users’ needs.

Tablet technology continues to shakeup healthcare as many medical practices and dental offices are planning to spend thousands of dollars to buy the devices in 2012.

A recent survey from the NPD Group, a market research company, found that 75 percent of the small to medium sized health care practices polled are looking to buy.

According to the survey, 76% of respondents intend to buy tablets over the next 12 months averaging $6,800 on the portable devices.

The tablet most desired is the iPad, which has tremendous brand recognition.  Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis at NPD concurs.

“The iPad, just as it is in the consumer market, is synonymous with ‘Tablet’ in the business market, leaving Apple poised to take advantage of the increased spending intentions of these SMBs.”

This should come as no surprise, as there are plethora of medical applications available for the iOS platform.  In fact, the iMedicalApps team has reviewed some intriguing apps for the ipad such as the Vue Motion medical image viewer, as well as the Epocrates EHR app.  Both of these are good examples of how tablet computers can be integrated into a typical medical practice. We also recently reported that according to a Jackson and Coker report, four out of five practicing physicians use smartphones, computer tablets, and other mobile devices during the course of their workday.  Thus, they are an important consideration for improving patient care.

The trend doesn’t stop there.  The survey also looked at small and medium sized businesses overall and concluded that as a group, 73% planned to buy tablet computers in 2012.  The companies would have had to have 1000 employees or less to be included in the survey.

“The average amount they expect to spend on the tablets is $21,000, according to the survey, which was carried out in September. And overall, more businesses are mulling tablet buys than before: in NPD’s second quarter survey, only 68 percent said they intended to purchase tablets over the next year.”

Source: Dotmed

When I was handed my first pager, I was stunned. It looked like the beeper that Will Smith used to flash on the Fresh Prince of Bel Air (and not even the later seasons, I’m talking about the early, crazy outfit seasons!). So I asked why I couldn’t simply use my phone or, for that matter, why we didn’t all use phones. The answer was simple – reliability. The paging system, of which this rather archaic looking item was part, was very reliable. But was that enough? No. The hospital also maintains it overhead paging system just in case. And if that goes down – yep, there’s a back up there too. In health information technology, reliability is everything. And for the iPad, that could prove to be a major barrier to adoption in the medical community as it faces off with other medical tablets, at least if the FCC’s recently voiced concerns prove to be true.

We all know that AT&T has been having issues with their telecommunications network since the inception of the iPhone.  The NY Times did a great piece on the 3G woes and how the public finger pointing between AT&T and Apple has exposed some serious problems with their partnership – the funny thing is, the article is 2 years old yet still holds true today.  It seems AT&T was not prepared for the surge in usage brought by the iPhone, a phone that guzzles data and network resources much like a Humvee uses gasoline.  So its wasn’t surprising that the reaction was less than warm when Steve Jobs announced AT&T had once again won exclusive rights to the data plans for an Apple product, this time the iPad [it was the only time during his presentation when the audience actually jeered him].

And now, the FCC is expressing concerns the iPad, of which there could be millions on the AT&T network, could overwhelm the existing infrastructure. Two high profile FCC officials, Phil Bellaria, Director of Scenario Planning, and John Leibovitz, Deputy Chief of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau had the following to say on their blog:

Widespread use of smartphones, 3G-enabled netbooks, and now, perhaps, the iPad and its competitors demonstrate that wireless broadband will be a hugely important part of the broadband ecosystem as we move ahead….With the iPad pointing to even greater demand for mobile broadband on the horizon, we must ensure that network congestion doesn’t choke off a service that consumers clearly find so appealing or frustrate mobile broadband’s ability to keep us competitive in the global broadband economy.

This isn’t necessarily a deal-breaker for every healthcare provider. Hospitals and health systems, for example, generally rely on local Wi-Fi networks through which a mobile device could access an EMR. The providers for whom this is more likely to be an issue are the private physicians and physician extenders (physician assistants and nurse practitioners) who work in multiple hospitals, surgery centers, nursing homes, and so on. These providers are more likely to rely on a commercial data network to access their own clinic’s EMR when, say, doing a bronchoscopy on a patient at an outpatient surgery center or on-call for a nursing home. For them, slow or absent connectivity even 1% of the time is unacceptable.

This issue is certainly not intrinsic to the iPad – it’s an effect of Apple’s relationship with AT&T. And AT&T has recognized this problem and is moving to improve its infrastructure. But time is not on Apple’s side. Lenovo, HP, and numerous other vendors are releasing new tablets at a dizzying pace with a range of features and prices. And the healthcare community is certainly looking closely at tablets right now, as various EMRs are being adopted by healthcare providers across the country. So now is the time for tablet vendors to reach out to the medical community. And carrying the baggage of an unreliable data network is certainly going to be a strike against any tablet hoping to gain traction in the medical community.