Going Paperless: Barbara Duck discusses how the Mini-Tablet PC could eliminate Paper Charts

    Hospitals and physicians may soon be able to do without all those pesky, error-prone paper charts, thanks to last month's release of Tablet Kiosk's EO Ultra Mobile Portable Computer (UMPC device.
    The $899, mini tablet PC - known as "Origami" in its development stages - has the potential to bring the industry into a "paperless realm" says Barbara Duck of Ducknet Services, who designed the first medical software database program for the UMPC. "In a hospital, it would allow nursing staff to wirelessly enter charting information …without having to rely on a paper chart," she explains. "Staff armed with [UMPCs] could have more than one person looking at the chart at the same time - it could give everyone access."
    And for a physician with a private practice, the device makes even more sense. "A doctor could take it with him and have access to patient information at any time," she says. "If a patient suddenly calls in with an emergency on a Saturday night, he would always have the latest update on their medications, or any reports that were done while he was out. It definitely prevents errors."

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    Duck, who also works as a database consultant with Community Hospital of Long Beach, believes the UMPC is different from any existing device because of its portability and the fact that it is more affordable for medical institutions. "It will probably take the place of the PDA," she says. "It opens up the mobility area in so many ways." While larger than the hand-held, she asserts that two or three pounds is a small tradeoff for a full computer with a seven-inch screen and fingertip navigation.
    "It's a really big thing for everyone," she adds. "It'll be great for college students who want to put notes on it, or load books on it. And it's only going to get better and less expensive."