Some resources, such as the Scientific American Medicine series, are available in full text version on-line. After finding the appropriate citation, I can turn on the Capture function in DataComm to store the information for later use. Ideally, a cellular modem would actually allow one to make these inquiries right at the bedside. Many readers outside of the healthcare industry probably think that hospitals are really behind the times when it comes to employing information technology. Healthcare reform is forcing us to look at ways to automate processes and replace the old paper-based information flow.
Mobility is a fact of life in healthcare.
Nurses and doctors travel from one patient's room to another, to the operating room, and x-ray facilities, not to mention remote offices and clinics. Mobility demands mobile computing, and wireless technology is the solution for this environment. Portable medical computing has made a dramatic improvement in how I and many others practice medicine. It's my hope that other doctors will see the utility of this approach and more widely use it in the future.