Home Forums Discussions General Discussion Is anybody using tablet PCs?

Hey folks:

I am considering trying Amazing Charts on tablet computers, and I wondered if anybody had any experience they could share.

I looked through the old threads (and the new Amazing Charts Wiki) and couldn't find much on this topic. I messaged one guy who said he was using them in an old thread, but no reply.

I will appreciate any advice on this topic.

Brian

Okay, I found a juicy old post from a year ago, but a year can mean a lot in computer terms. As of 7/20/07:

"hockeyref" was pleased with his Gateway tablets, M275 & 7200 (hockeyref -- he posts here sometimes, doesn't he?)

"IMADO" had purchased a refurb Fujitsu Stylistic ST5030 and was getting the hang of speech recognition.

"kawagnermd" liked the Toshiba Tecra M4, but it had only been in use for six weeks at the time of the post.

Power-user "gblock348" touted the dual processor Toshiba M400 (Geoff wanted a slate but said they were all still underpowered for his purposes).

So, a year later, is everybody still happy with their set-up? Anybody looking to upgrade?

My plan is for the to use the tablet in the exam room for the nurses to input vitals, basic/template history elements and basic/template exam elements, and then forward them to a PC outside the exam room for me to dictate any further info (I use DNS9) and print prescriptions, etc.

Brian

Dr. C has a tablet. AC works just fine on it, but she doesn't use the tablet functionality that much. Its more to do with her being willing (and assertive) about adapting to new ways of doing things than with the functionality of the tablet. Plus, she used to be a 100 wpm typist so she can touch-type really well.

My thing is that I don't have space in my small rooms for a fixed computer station (and I have other objections to that set-up as well). I have been using AC on a laptop to round on three nursing homes, but moving the laptop from room-to-room in my clinic is a bit cumbersome.

So, basically, I'm facing either remodeling my exam rooms vs. finding a way to make tablets fit into my natural work flow.

If I can make tablets work, it will be less disruptive to my practice in a lot of ways, but I have no experience with tablets whatsoever.

Brian

Folks,
Stay away from Toshiba. The one that we bought 3 years ago has been nothing but trouble and we have owned both Gateway and Toshiba the difference between the two is just unreal. The Toshiba is just so Fragile.

The Toshiba has been thru "TWO" complete motherboards, so it is on it's third motherboard in that many years!!! Their support is not USA based, but first you need to literally fight you way thru at least two levels of overseas tech before they'll send someone on site. Then my last recent service experience was unreal too. Turns out that many techs from the last few services had put things back together less than perfect and so half my issues were caused by cut ribbon cables and dead components caused by poor re-assembly.

On the other hand, Gateway tech for Business has always been based here in the states. When I've had to call they have walked me thru things step by step, sometimes staying with me for 1/2 an hour or more as diagnostics run and the like. We have always found the problem eventually and only once was it, hardware related. They now have a "Keep your Harddrive" feature to the tech support, for only $10 per year. So if your drive is the problem, instead of returning it as most broken parts must do, for evaluation, we can keep our drives. Very important in this business and I like it. I've got my dead one in our fireproof safe right now. Any suggestions on the best way to properly destroy or protect this thing???

Our P2P main Tower is over 4 years old and has been flawless bought back in May of 2003! And as I told Brian, Gateway always gives you proper recovery discs!!! Full operating system and drivers. Not the make your own recovery disc garbage. Most of the OS's are installed in bulk, 50-100 machines hooked up at a time, high speed and they are frequently less than perfect. You have paid for your Legal Copy of Windows and you should always insist on a proper, factory perfect legal copy of it for your own legal use; right? Just as we have discussed on other products on other threads here on this board, right?

One caviot here. It has just come to light that Gateway has been bought by Acer and only time will tell how that does or does not affect things in terms of policies and support. But for me, I'm very happy with their present business model. Good support from intelligent US Citizens on our side of the ocean, with whom there is no confusion as to what is being said or what you are being asked to type when in "DOS" trying to figure things out. One mistyped character and it all falls apart, right? I can only hope that this company remains as good thru it's new parent company. Acer might actually learn something if they do things right.

In closing these machines are like our 181K mile old Jeep with it's 5.2 magnum motor... It has never failed to start, no matter how cold, wet, snowy or even hot, and to get us to and from where ever we were coming or going. Baby turns over every morning, even with a Purge leak code.... So do my Gateways. Any time we have had an issue it was only because some idiot sent us something nasty from the net and TrendMicro seems to have pretty much put an end to that too....

Take it for what it is worth....
Paul

I really like Gateway computers. Unfortunately, when we were looking for a Tablet theirs was one of the heavy "Slate Tablet" PCs. So we went with a ........ Toshiba. Got it in Feb, need to call tech support and send it in because the internal connector for the docking station broke.

IF I was making the purchase now, I wouldnt go with a tablet since my sister doesn't really use the table functionality. A plain old laptop would do fine.

I have an acer. Acer has a big screen, almost as big as 17 inch monitor. This is very good for AC.
In the beginning I would use it the regular way, but found out if the network connection drops, we get errors in AC. Chart is not updated properly, notes get dropped like mentioned by Barbara I believe.
So I use Acer with VNC, to access my office desktop, so no chances of dropping the connection/messing up AC.

The only thing I dont like with any tablet is : I have to carry it around. I like my hands to be free. So most of the times I use desktop with wireless keyboard.

Wcoghill:

Does your sister type in the room with the patient?

Brian

Hmmm... hadn't thought of that. I don't know anything about VNC. The idea was to have a light, non-intrusive input device in the room for my nurse to capture the important points, then forward the chart to my laptop with wireless keyboard at our central counter to finish up the note, print Rxs, etc.



Joseph2: do you type in the room with the patient? I'm just not comfortable doing that. I like to sit close to the patient and just jot down key words for dictation as we talk.

Brian

Unforunately she doesnt type in the room. She says that she cannot get the patient to stop asking questions or to leave the room as long as she is in it. "And doctor what about this brown spot on my arm?" "One moooore thing, Doctor..."

Another Dr. we know who uses AC says he finishes 95% of his charts in the room. He LOOOOOOVVVES Amazing Charts and is really glad I told him to get it. He often finishes his chart after telling the patient to wait in the waiting area, then he uses the Orders section to send instructions to the front desk.

Sounds very familiar!

I just couldn't type with the patient in the room; I know a lot of doctors do that, but I would feel rude. I would be okay with scribbling a few notes on a tablet; that's similar to what patients are used to.

Brian

I use my tablet exclusively everyday. It saves so much time. I lease my table through Dell. It is actually made by Motion Computing. http://www.motioncomputing.com

Exclusively, huh?

Neat, but how exactly do you use it? For instance, do you do as much as possible in tablet mode with templates, and then convert to laptop mode and type the rest? Do you type in the room with the patient?

Brian

I type my notes right in the room in front of the patient. I have my laptop situated so I can look at the patient and look at the keyboard (as I am not a trained typist). My patients are very comfortable with this. I even joke with them about what a poor typist I am. I complete 99.9% of all notes in front of the patient. I use templates very heavily. I think it is completely justified to allow patients to see what their encounter totally entails. I also think it is good to let patients see the "paperwork" which must be completed. I would rather set my appointment schedule for 15 minute visits and complete my notes at the time of the exam than to set them at 10 minutes and still have 2 hours or so of "paperwprk" to do at the end of the day. Before my patients leave the room, the note is at the front desk, the staff is already scheduling tests, referrals or return visits, the scripts have been faxed or printed and, someday hopefully a useful superbill will have been generated. The comment I hear most from patients about this method is "WOW!!! You can do all that from in here?" The patients are impressed that the staff is already on the phone with consultants offices or with the hospital scheduling xrays etc. by the time they get to the front desk. They love the faxed scripts as most of the time their medicines are ready and waiting for them when they get to the pharmacy. Also, I have even had pharmacists call us within a minute or so of my faxing the script to tell me they have a different dose or number down in their records, are we sure what I faxed is what I want? Now, I consider it a major chore if I actually have to take out a script pad and write one out.

Leslie

That's an absolute fact, Leslie. The benefits of completing your work as you go are manifold. Thanks for sharing your experience.

Brian

Wow Leslie, looks like you're using the EMR the way they have been advertised.

I know our collegue Dr. J here in our office completes his notes in the room and sends orders to the desk. But he doesn't have the internet fax yet.

Wayne

BTW, somebody someplace on the bulletin board referred to me as Dr. Coghill. I just want to say for the record that I am not Dr. Coghill, I'm just her brother with an engineering (outdated) and mgmt. and marketing consulting background.

I try to get her to visit the site, but she hasn't yet.

W

Fujitsu Tablet- Stylistic 5030
Purchased "open box" from Fujitsu's ebay store for $900.00 (MSRP $2300.00) almost 1 year ago. Love it. Upgrading to 2 gig mem to deploy Dragon- although 512mb was acceptable. Next time I'd buy with the "Active matrix display" as the afternoon sunlight washes out the screen sometimes. Networks great, handwriting recognition great, patients like it. AC works great on it.
Love it.