While in the airport. I stopped at a news stand to buy a magazine and saw on the front page of Laptop magazine: Ipad or Not? I thought this was a terrific question for the chiropractic field and thought chiropractors would be tappy to hear the pros and cons of using an Ipad or any other tablet computer in their office. One thing is certain: Ipads arc the flavor of the day. They are thin, light and have thousands of applications available. These applications are very easy to download and arc free or inexpensive. Ipads and tablets are touch screen, which makes them easy to use. They arc also portable and capable of surfing the internet, and arc invaluable for accessing social websites and email. In reality, can we use an Ipad all day long in a chiropractic office as part of our Electronic Health Record system? Probably yes. But doctors need to be aware of the negative situations they may have to face when using them for daily operations in their office. Id like to stare 5 of them. Risk of theft or breakage If used by patients to enter subjective notes or case histories. Ipads can be stolen or dropped (and broken), which can be costly to doctors. CAs would have to handle and take care of all Ipads used in the office, which would not be a desired additional task. Patients can easily do the same task on a desktop computer, eliminating additional tasks to the CA and eliminating all risk of theft or breakage. Small screen One of the greatest improvements for computers over the years has been the enlargement of screens. With a large screen, software programmers can simultaneously show multiple pieces of information and images, thus reducing (sometimes eliminating) the frequent changing of screens. No one will argue that large screens make software much easier to use. Ipads have very small screens. These very small screens lead to a lot of screen changing. These screen changes take up a lot of precious time and may get some doctors very annoyed. If doctors sec 60 patients per day and lose 1 minute per patient, they will work an additional hour in their office every day to achieve the same work. At the end of the > car. this is 300 hours of productivity lost which, based on 40 hours of work per week, could have been turned into 7.5 weeks of vacation. Application and download Ipad software is downloaded and installed through the Apple store. If an Ipad does not work, the software cannot be used on a regular desktop computer. The only solution possible is that the doctor will have to buy another Ipad and reinstall the software. The lack of another tempo ran solution can lead to more expenses and hassles. Freedom of the chiropractor Electronic Health Record systems liavc done something great for doctors. They liavc removed paper files from the chiropractor's liands. Doctors don't liavc to earn or search paper files anymore. This is one of the most appreciated changes softw are providers have invented for chiropractors. However, if used by chiropractors. Ipads arc loading doctors" hands again. Using an Ipad goes backward and eliminates this great hands-frcc improvement. Also. Ipads can be forgotten somewhere and need to be searched for. exactly as with paper filing systems. Powered devices Ipads and tablets are batten -powered devices, and thus have reduced autonomy. This is a serious operating handicap for a chiropractic office. Ipad 3 1ms anywhere between 8 and 10 hours of autonomy, depending of which application you arc using. Videos and networking reduce the autonomy, and Ipad 3 takes 7 to 8 hours to rccliargc*. As you can imagine, you may need more than one Ipad. fully charged, to work for an entire day. The hassle of the constant recharge process for Ipads or tablets can be very annoying to chiropractors. Conclusion In chiropractic or any other profession, reality always catches up with excitement. From there, we will have to find out if software programmers will be able to create applications tliat will overcome important inconveniences. Will they be able to provide softw arc tliat will be more beneficial to use and limit the above risks and hassles? The least we can say is that the challenge is great, and overcoming it is no small task. * Ipad power consumption: http://www.oncbitzcro.com/ipad-3-batten -lifc-rccharging-o\ crheating-issues-re\ icw/ Claude Cote is an expert in EHR systems, insurance hilling and chiropractic clinic management for 22 \>ears. He has installed F.IIR s\ stem in IS countries over 5 continents and nationwide in L'S.1. lie is the President and Founder of Platinum System C.R. Corp (www.platinumsystem.com). For comments or c/uestions, please email to info(ii:platmumsystem.com \
