Source: Apple

Have you ever looked over a doctor’s shoulder when they are using an EMR?  What you see is hard to describe. Picture a crowded screen with fields, data,  buttons and menus that fill up the entire screen.  Picture a screen so crowded that if you wanted to add another data field you would be hard pressed to find some real estate on the already crowded screen. But if you keep watching you would be even more amazed.  If a doctors wants to send an electronic prescription to a pharmacy for the patient she might have to click on 4 or 5 pages to accomplish the task. The amount of options and choices that the doctor has to navigate through is truly daunting. What I just described is not true for every EMR.  With over 300 EMRs on the market, and growing, some of the EMR vendors have figured out usability and design.  But unfortunately many of the vendors have not.

Up until about 5 months ago I have been a dedicated and devoted user of Windows based applications.  My time on Apple computers was very rare.  And I admit that I have engaged in the typical technology driven arguments that the Windows operating system was superior to the Apple operating system.  In fact, I always failed to understand the cult based Apple loving mindset.

Fast forward to the present and after purchasing an Apple iPad my perspective has changed.  I won’t go into details about the iPad because by now you would have to be living under a rock to not know about the smashing success that Apple has had with the iPad.  The one thing that I will point out is how good the interface and usability is on the iPad.  I am amazed that without a keyboard and with only one button on the front of the device, how easy it is to use and navigate iPad (iOS) applications.  And I totally understand your doubt if you have not used an iPad but I ask that you trust me on this one.

iPad EMRs

So can the usability of the iPad be leveraged for EMRs?  Clearly an iPad strategy is a must for most of the EMR vendors. Will they take their existing user interface and shoehorn it into the iPad or will they totally redesign the interface and focus on usability?

For more insight into how some of the EMR vendors have approached the iPad check out this post over at Software Advice.  They go into the booming demand for iPads and tablets as well as review some of the existing iPad EMRs and applications.

Quest Diagnostics released a native EHR for the iPad.  The demo video that they have makes it look very user friendly. Here are some facts that they have on their website:

• Care360, the leading web-based electronic health record (EHR), accessible on desktops, laptops and the iPhone™, now comes with a native app for the iPad.
• The app, developed by MedPlus, the healthcare IT subsidiary of Quest Diagnostics, is garnering praise for its intuitive interface, remarkable navigation ease, and support of patient engagement.
• Designed with physician needs and workflow in mind, the Care360 HD interface helps physicians navigate easily while focusing on the patient.
• Physicians are using the app throughout the day — on the go — to review a patient’s medication history, respond to medication renewal requests, write prescriptions and handle other clinical tasks. The longer battery life also minimizes time spent recharging or changing batteries.
• Managing medications, reviewing and annotating lab results, and viewing trends through historical lab results is all easy through Care360’s native iPad app. Physicians are also viewing encounter notes, patient problems, comments and allergies, and accessing, adding or editing patient demographics.
• Physicians had already embraced Care360 Mobile for the iPhone. Now, they have the flexibility to use Care360 with that same functionality on the iPad, with a thoughtfully designed iPad-native app.

I know the more I use my iPad the more impressed I am with it.  I can see this being a very interesting application.  And the nice thing would be to put a keyboard/dock in an exam room and easily enter information and use the touch screen at the same time.

What is even more interesting is that the Care360 EHR is a SaaS / Hosted model that is accessed via the Internet.  So with a 3G iPad you can access the EHR from anywhere.  Or load the app on your iPhone and you will always have access to your EHR no matter where you are.

This sounds like it has the potential to be a game changer.  If anyone has feedback or experience with the Care360 EHR or the iPhone or iPad app leave a comment and give your thoughts.