But the writing on the board was often illegible and the information outdated. And because the board was located in a public area, everyone could see the information on it, thus violating patient confidentiality, Halamka says. The white board has since been replaced by Palm Pilots. All the patient management is done wirelessly. But the technology still has a way to go before physicians embrace it wholeheartedly, Halamka says.
Battery life is an issue, and user interfaces are still too clumsy for most time-pressed physicians.
Try taking notes on a Palm Pilot. In order to send a prescription to a pharmacy, he has to enter the information into the palmtop, go to the docking station, print out the prescription and fax it to the pharmacy. Although the computerized entry cuts down on potential errors, the system remains paper-based at its core. Septimus says he s about six months away from introducing truly wireless capabilities, in which a doctor could beam a prescription directly from a Palm Pilot to the pharmacy using a secure Internet connection. That type of instant convenience is the key to integrating technology into doctors lives, Marietti says.