Mobile devices such as iPad and iPod Touch filter into hospitals and medical schools

Might we see iPads popping up in the hands of hospital staff? Well, it depends.

Ottawa Hospital in Canada, is distributing hundreds of iPads to doctors and nurses to view X-ray and MRI images and access other medication information, according to “The electronic health record meets the iPad” posted by IT World Canada.

However Dr. Satish Misra, writing earlier this year for iMedical Apps, expressed concerns about the use of iPads in hospitals: Can they be properly disinfected? And is it too easy for folks to swipe and compromise private medical info? Read about the doctor’s concerns at “Apple’s iPad will fall short of transforming hospital medical care but may have potential with electronic medical records.”

One thing is for sure, mobile devices will continue to play a role in healthcare. Already medical students are receiving such devices to research diseases quickly, listen to lectures and access up-to-date information. The Orlando Sentinel reports on how this trend affects students at the University of Central Florida’s med school in “UCF gives med students high-tech devices to stay in touch, iPod style.”

--Mary Forgione / For the Los Angeles Times