What uses are these devices being put to?

Amanda Chiplock MLS, the Acquisitions Emerging Technologies Librarian at the Nova Southeastern University Health Professions Division Library reported that most of the physicians who borrow their iPads are using them for teaching and presentations (45%) or videos and research (40%) [from iMedicalApps post].

Doctors and other patrons who check out these devices can install their own software selections, and retain access to those apps for use via their account at the iTunes Store, should they decide to purchase an iPad for themselves. Challenges arise when using these devices to access institutional electronic medical records (EMR), but they are not insurmoutable. Upon return to the library, these devices are easily wiped and reset back to their basic configuration for the next patron.

As noted in an earlier post, the Eccles Health Sciences Library also has a mobile device check-out program, providing patrons the option of test-driving any of the following eReaders and tablets before purchasing one for themselves:

• Apple’s iPad (3 available)
• Motorola Xoom (3 available)
• Amazon Kindle (6 available)
• Barnes and Noble Nook (3 “1st Edition” and 3 color)

The check-out period is two weeks (as of this writing), and upon check-in, patrons are asked to complete a brief survey on how the device was used, etc.

Have you checked out an iPad, eReader or other mobile computing device from Eccles Library or another library? What device did you check out, and how did you use it? What did you like and dislike about it? Tell us!

Recently, physicians at the University of Chicago published a research letter in the Archives of Internal Medicine detailing their experience with the routine use of iPads by internal medicine residents during their regular duties.

What they documented was that use of the mobile device was objectively associated with faster order entry after patient admission and the subjective assessment that it saves up to one hour per day for each resident.

Prior to initiating the program, investigators wisely met with hospital IT to determine their concerns and set up rules for usage of the devices. After initially having residents individually install apps via their own iTunes accounts, it was decided to work through a third-party vendor to standardize the devices — in this case, working with a company called Mobile Iron. Additional security protections included an eight-digit alphanumeric screen lock code (instead of the standard four-digit numeric code), and setting the iPads to automatically erase themselves after five unsuccessful attempts to log-in.

A great deal of interest has been generated since the research letter was published, and the authors plan to share what they’ve learned at conferences and workshops. In addition, the local ABC Television station did a segment on this event, which you can see below.

Have you used an iPad or other tablet computer in a medical setting? How did it work for you? Tell us about it!

• Easy to open packaging
• Easy entry & removal of the iPad
• A pictorial guide on how to use the sleeve.

The article summarizes its findings thusly:

While no medical device or sterile barrier can guarantee sterility if improperly used, this device appears to satisfy regulatory requirements for sterile barriers and, when used with an iPad that has been appropriately cleansed, should satisfy most hospitals’ requirements for operating room use.

Have you tried this covering on your iPad? How did it work for you? Tell us!

• Download the new issue each Thursday, and store all downloaded issues in a personal library
• Bookmark articles, images & figures
• Watch clinical medicine videos
• Listen to an audio summary for each issue
• Capture and save article notes, and even share them via email, Facebook & Twitter

Non-subscribers view a fully functional free issue, preview the table of contents for each issue and read Online First articles. App-only subscriptions of the NEJM are $14.99 per month, and purchase of a single issue is $5.99 each. At first glance, it does not yet appear that institutional subscribers can use this app to access NEJM, which is a significant oversight. Many faculty, researchers and physicians here at the University of Utah rely on the NEJM, and if a clinical reference tool such as LexiComp can provide an institutional version of their software, so can a top-notch journal publisher.

In downloading the iPad app, I discovered the NEJM Career Center, an iPhone/iPad app that, like its website counterpart, will help physicians search listings of physician and locum tenens job listings by location, specialty or position type. It notifies users of new jobs that match their search criteria, and allows them to email or tweet jobs to themselves or their personal networks.

If you want to keep up on the latest researched published in NEJM, subscribe to their weekly audio summaries podcast, NEJM This Week. Each podcast is 20-25 minutes long, and includes new medical research findings, review articles, and editorial opinion pieces on topics related to biomedical science and clinical practice.

Do you use any of the NEJM apps? What do you like or dislike about them? Tell us about it!

Eccles Library has purchased three iPads, along with the Motorola Xoom (3), Amazon’s Kindle (6) and the Nook (6) from Barnes and Noble for students and faculty to check out and learn about (see previous post). Included on the iPad are the following applications:

• Kindle
• iBooks
• Nook
• Google Books
• Inkling
• Modality Body

along with the standard software that comes with the device.

Do you have an iPad, Xoom or other tablet computer? What medical or other software do you use on it? Tell us about it!

The Library recently purchased a number of eReaders and mobile devices for faculty and students to check out and try before purchasing. They include:

• Apple’s iPad (3 available)
• Motorola Xoom (3 available)
• Amazon Kindle (6 available)
• Barnes and Noble Nook (3 “1st Edition” and 3 color)

Eccles Library staff and faculty demonstrated each of the devices at our September LIFT Forum (see earlier blog post), after which attendees had the opportunity to try the devices.

These devices come pre-loaded with software and eBooks for patrons to peruse. Are you considering purchasing one of these devices? Or are you just curious about them? Stop by the Library and check one out today. And then come back and tell us what you think!

Program Description
Faculty and staff of the Eccles Library showcase their favorite apps for mobile devices. Each presenter has three minutes to present, describe and demonstrate a specific app and take one or two questions.

Apps to be presented include:
•    Dropbox
•    Evernote
•    GoodReader
•    Idea Flight
•    Inkling
•    Mendeley
•    QR Code Readers
•    Simplenote
•    Voice Memo
•    Weather and birds
If you are interested in showing us an app that you like please contact Jeanne Le Ber (contact information below).

Presenters
Faculty and staff of the Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library and you!

For more details, visit the LIFT Forum page; program can be viewed from off-site via links from the web page; and available on demand after the program.

The LIFT Forum is co-sponsored by the Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library and the Media-on-Demand committee.

Questions can be directed to:
Jeanne Le Ber; 801-585-6744.

This column has featured many posts on mobile technology during the past two years, with particular emphasis on applications for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. This would not have been possible without the vision and creativity of the late Steve Jobs, founder and former CEO of Apple Computer, who passed away yesterday at the age of 56. Jobs transformed our relationship with computers and technology, democratizing access and enabling everyday people to do basic and amazing things.

Prior to Apple Computer’s debut, a select few had the know-how and access to utilize the enormous machines in temperature-controlled rooms at select sites in universities, businesses and government agencies. Jobs and his team at Apple built computers (Apple II, Macintosh, iMac, etc.) with graphical user interfaces (GUI, for short) that simplified interaction between human and machine so that everyday people could own and operate one.

When Steve Jobs gave the 2005 commencement speech at Stanford University, he spoke of his brush with death when he was first diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, which his physician indicated would probably be incurable:

“I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery.”

Jobs had the surgery and recovered from the cancer.

During the last 2-3 years, medical uses of mobile devices such as the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad have increased dramatically, from interactive medical textbooks, to tracking blood glucose levels, to eye exams, to low-cost medical technology — with too many more examples to name in a single post. Steve Jobs looked beyond what was to what could be done with computing:

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.”

So I tip my hat in tribute to Steve Jobs, whose technological vision and creativity will live on to help many have better health through technology.

(Photo from Wikipedia article on Steve Jobs.)

• 8 built-in search engines for access to millions of articles.
• Download and store PDFs of the articles you read.
• Highlight and add notes to your PDFs.
• Pinch and zoom features native to the iPad.
• Email, print and share a paper with other Papers users wirelessly.
• Stores 5,000 papers.
• Import papers from web-based storage services like Dropbox.

Papers will sync with the desktop version ($79), adding even more powerful literature management.

Papers is also available for the iPhone.

Have you used Papers, either the mobile or the desktop version? Tell us about it!

Program Description: Current hot mobile devices include Tablets and eReaders.  The Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library has purchased a number of tablets and eReaders to provide our patrons the opportunity to try these latest mobile technologies. This presentation provides an overview of the library’s tablet/eReader project, introduces the basic features of the iPad, Xoom, Nook and Kindle, and reviews some favorite apps.  The devices are WiFi only, and require a wireless network in range to work effectively. On campus, the devices can easily use UConnect and UGuest WiFi networks.

Devices will be available for show and tell after the presentation.

Please join us to learn more about these devices and how you might check one out.

Presenters
Amy Honisett: Education Librarian
Peter Jones: Consultant
Jeanne Le Ber: Associate Director for Education and Research
Nancy Lombardo: Associate Director for Information Technology
Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library

For more details, visit the LIFT Forum page.

Program can be viewed from off-site via links from the web page; and available on demand after the program.

The LIFT Forum is co-sponsored by the Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library and the Media-on-Demand committee.

Questions can be directed to:  Jeanne Le Ber; 801-585-6744 or jeanne.leber@utah.edu

The horse is out of the barn folks, now let’s see which hospital IT departments evolve and which ones don’t. Technology has forced many professions to evolve, including the ones born of technology.

Have you used mobile technology in a medical setting? What device(s) do you use? What challenges have you faced in terms of security concerns by your institution’s IT department? Tell us about it!

“With Keynote, an iPad application similar to PowerPoint, children are able to slide through pictures of what will take place from admission to discharge. With this device I can explain surgery preparation through pictures and age-appropriate language.”

The program is designed for children ages 3 and up, and allows for increased interactivity over books.

The medical students at the University of Minnesota’s Duluth campus have all been given iPads to help with medical education — adding to the growing list of medical schools implementing “iPad medical curriculums”.

Why the iPad?

The University of Minnesota’s Duluth medical school had received a $2.3 million Health Resources and Services Administration grant to fund efforts to increase the use of electronic learning in the medical school curriculum.

This article goes on to cite the reasons for the iPad’s continued leadership in this market:

• Numerous apps
• Portability
• Lagging competition

Check out this video of iPads being used by the medical students at UMD.

What do you think? If you own an iPad, how helpful have you found it in your education? Let us know!

Ganong’s Review of Medical Physiology, a trusted textbook for medical student education, was just released on the Inkling platform. Inkling is a textbook application that was built exclusively for the iPad platform and features “interactive textbooks” — basically, bringing textbooks alive.

The interactivity in this textbook includes helpful features such as quizzes at the end of each chapter; a “test yourself” feature where labels on diagrams can be hidden from view, then revealed with a single tap; and step-by-step guided tours of various physical processes. The full price of the textbook is $64.99, or you can purchase chapters for $1.99 each. You can even annotate and search the textbook as you go.

The idea of being able to purchase a chapter at a time is not just a cost-saving measure. It is also a feedback mechanism for textbook writers and publishers. Whether faculty require students to read particular book chapters, or students buy them based on peer recommendations, quality texts that are clearly understood by today’s students (“millenials”, etc.) have the potential to redefine what is considered “best” in any given field or specialty.

Finally, having all your medical texts on a 1-2 lb. device will ease the physical strain for faculty and students alike who previously had to carry textbooks typically weighing dozens of pounds. You can download the free Inkling app from the iTunes store. The video indicates there is a “free chapter” available for test-reading. If you have an iPad, take a look, then tell us what you think!

Lately, it seems almost anything medical regarding Apple’s iPad generates immediate interest. Nimble, the new iPad electronic health record (EHR) by Clear Practice, has been no exception. In the few short weeks since its release, this application has rapidly generated interest across medical blogs, mainstream press and, most importantly, from doctors themselves.

The demonstration pictures on the vendor’s website illustrate how a doctor can show a patient images that teach about their condition. From a medical librarian’s perspective, it is critically important to ask:

1. Where is the patient-focused information coming from? Is it evidence based or found through Google?
2. Can the patient access the same information themselves after leaving the doctor’s office?

Libraries have been providing information to patrons on all topics for centuries, and are uniquely qualified to offer critical evaluation of resources in this setting. The Eccles Health Sciences Library is currently working on including links to top-quality resources such as MedlinePlus for patients in the institutions we support. This requires collaboration with service providers and their vendors as well as taking steps to protect patient privacy. As our current project — a mashup combining Google Maps, and the locations of medical clinics and local libraries — comes online, watch this blog for updates.

In the meantime, the Library will be hosting its annual InfoFair on the topic of “The Personal Health Record: Possible, Portable, Private?” on Wednesday, December 1, 2010. Check the InfoFair 2010 website for more details.

“Kaplan is offering 100 free e-books through iBooks, Apple’s e-reader for the iPad and the iPhone. For those in the medical field, there are plenty of books to choose from. The e-books range from Kaplan USMLE step 1, 2, and 3, to novels about Intern life. These books from Kaplan are usually $29.99 in other e-book formats. The deal is only valid in the Apple Bookstore, and lasts until August 30th.”

The author goes on to note that while the books can be read on an iPhone (and probably an iPod touch), “they are significantly easier to read on the iPad.” If you haven’t bought an iPad yet but think you might, you can still download them in iTunes, then add them to your iPad later. The blog posting offers screenshots of how these e-books will look on an iPad.

What do you think: will we just move to an e-book reader model for all students, requiring yet another high-tech, high-cost purchase?