Because physicians are constantly on the move, they have a reputation for resisting desktop PC-based systems in general. However, since the arrival of personal digital assistants (PDAs), doctors have rapidly adopted the technology. In fact, PDAs are used by nearly a third of all healthcare workers, according to Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society.
It's no surprise. After all, PDAs provide portability, while allowing up-to-the-minute access to medical data and information on hospitalized patients. Medical professionals have a quick reference for specific patient and drug information using a stylus and their PDA, but they still need a ball-point to write the prescription. And old practices such as adding information to paper charts on clipboards, and filling out patient discharge documents aren't going away anytime soon.
A low-tech, yet still very cool stylus pen does double duty, marrying modern PDA technology with traditional ways, and allowing doctors to switch from digital to paper with the click of a button.
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From PDA to prescription pad: Physicians won't need to switch between stylus and pen when using a stylus pen combination.
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Deb Bamford, ttools LLC, 2 Charles St., 2nd Floor Center, Providence, RI 02904-2269; Tel: (215) 545-4902; E-mail: deb@smaller.com.
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