From Mayo Clinic YouTube channel: “Being in the hospital after major surgery is no fun. On top of dealing with pain, patients have uncertainty. They also have to worry about getting all the information they need to support their recovery. That’s not always easy in the hospital; things happen quickly and doctors and hospital staff are often really busy. Doctors at Mayo Clinic may have a solution to this issue. They’re giving iPads to heart surgery patients to see if a new iPad app can make hospital stays easier and more satisfying.”
Our research presented during the 2011 ACAAI meeting showed that 95% patients thought the iPad was helpful for coming to understanding of their condition:
PATIENT PERCEPTION OF A POINT-OF-CARE TABLET COMPUTER (IPADâ„¢) BEING USED FOR PATIENT EDUCATION – P318
A. Nickels*, V. Dimov, V. Press, R.Wolf, Chicago, IL.
Background:
During the fall of 2010, the Internal Medicine/Pediatrics program at University of Chicago introduced Point-of-Care Tablet Computers (iPadâ„¢) for clinical use. iPadsâ„¢ are intended to improve access to EMR, work flow, resident and patient education, and access to electronic clinical tools. The graphic display and ease of interface makes the iPadâ„¢ a potentially powerful tool to achieve these goals. This pilot study is designed to gauge the initial patient perception of the iPadâ„¢ when used for patient education.
Methods:
8 questions, physician administered, patient survey of Allergy Immunology patients or their parents. Preloaded iPads™ with education materials (“mind map†diagrams, clinical pictures) into the photo software were used to clinically education the patients. Simple percentages and Fisher’s exact non-parametric test were used for statistical analysis. Results: 20 patients surveyed (11 resident/9 attending). For those survey items without 100% agreement, there was no statistically significant difference in responses based on level of training (p≥0.45). 100% [0.861, 1] of participants liked the iPad™ being used to help explain their children’s condition, 95% [0.783, 0.997] of participants did not find it distracting. 100% [0.8601, 1] found it helpful. 100% [0.861, 1] would like it to be used again to help explain medical information. 95% [0.784, 0.9974386] thought the iPad™ was helpful for coming to understanding of their condition. Limitations of this study include a convenient sample, physician-administered survey, and observer bias.
Conclusion:
Patient perception was very positive toward the use of a Point-of-Care Tablet Computer (iPad™) in a clinical setting. While limited to only two operators, level of training did not have an effect on patient perception. Confirmation of the results may be required before wider implementation.
Source: Â Patient Perception of a Point-of-Care Tablet Computer (iPad) Being Used for Patient Education. A. Nickels, V. Dimov, V. Press, R. Wolf. American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI) 2011 Annual Meeting.
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