Jerry Fahrni

Tablet PC
CNet: “Lenovo updated its x series tablet with a new x201 model that packs Intel’s newest low-power Core i5 and i7 processors. In addition to the performance improvement that comes with the faster Core i series chips, the x201 also boasts better battery life over previous models, according to Mika Majapuro, senior worldwide product marketing manager at Lenovo.” – Lenovo currently makes one of the premiere tablet PCs on the market; the ThinkPad X200. I’m thrilled that they are continuing their great tradition of convertible tablets despite the popularity of slate devices so far this year; the iPad, the windows based HP Slate and the Notion Ink Adam, an android based tablet device. According to the article Lenovo continues to make convertible tablets secondary to feedback from customers. Hey, I think the convertible tablet is the way to go.

Dual Screen laptop
The same CNet article mentions that “Lenovo also announced 17-inch ThinkPad models, including the W701 and W701ds (dual screen) ThinkPad. These also come with new Intel Core i series processors.” – My opinions regarding dual screen laptops can be found here. Overall I like the concept and think they’re pretty cool now that I’ve had some time to get used to the idea. I will definitely give one a try if and when I can.

Medical Smartphones: “We all know that the AT&T network is having difficulty keeping up with the data load caused by a multitude of iPhone users. What will happen when the iPad becomes available? Will the networks get more congested? Will AT&T have the necessary infrastructure to provide adequate 3G services for all these new iPads that will be floating around?” – Joseph goes on to ponder how long it will take Versizon to get the iPhone as his wife is eagerly waiting for it. I too have been waiting for the iPhone to drop into Verizon hands. Even though I’m satisfied with my Droid, I will convert to the iPhone once available through my carrier. Unless, of course, something better comes along in the meantime. The reason why I would switch is simple; the iPhone is so widely used among healthcare professionals that application development for the device is on the forefront of technology. If you can’t find it for the iPhone, then it probably doesn’t exist.

So, what will happen when the iPad hits AT&T? I have no idea because I don’t plan to buy one with 3G. I will use the device like I use my iPod touch now; inside the walls of my house, the hospital and Starbucks.

As usual there were a lot of things that happened during the week, and not all of it was pharmacy or technology related. Here’s a quick look at some of the stuff I found interesting.
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To continue with the radiology theme from yesterday: Toomey RJ, Ryan JT, McEntee MF, et al. Diagnostic Efficacy of Handheld Devices for Emergency Radiologic Consultation. Am. J. Roentgenol. 2010;194(2):469-474.

Abstract: Diagnostic Efficacy of Handheld Devices for Emergency Radiologic Consultation
OBJECTIVE. Orthopedic injury and intracranial hemorrhage are commonly encountered in emergency radiology, and accurate and timely diagnosis is important. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the diagnostic accuracy of handheld computing devices is comparable to that of monitors that might be used in emergency teleconsultation.
SUBJECTS AND METHODS. Two handheld devices, a Dell Axim personal digital assistant (PDA) and an Apple iPod Touch device, were studied. The diagnostic efficacy of each device was tested against that of secondary-class monitors (primary class being clinical workstation display) for each of two image types—posteroanterior wrist radiographs and slices from CT of the brain—yielding four separate observer performance studies. Participants read a bank of 30 wrist or brain images searching for a specific abnormality (distal radial fracture, fresh intracranial bleed) and rated their confidence in their decisions. A total of 168 readings by examining radiologists of the American Board of Radiology were gathered, and the results were subjected to receiver operating characteristics analysis.
RESULTS. In the PDA brain CT study, the scores of PDA readings were significantly higher than those of monitor readings for all observers (p 0.01) and for radiologists who were not neuroradiology specialists (p 0.05). No statistically significant differences between handheld device and monitor findings were found for the PDA wrist images or in the iPod Touch device studies, although some comparisons approached significance.
CONCLUSION. Handheld devices show promise in the field of emergency teleconsultation for detection of basic orthopedic injuries and intracranial hemorrhage. Further investigation is warranted.

I’m not as sharp as many of you so I had to actually look up the word roentenology, which means “Radiology, the science of radiation and, specifically, the use of both ionizing (like X-ray) and nonionizing (like ultrasound) modalities for the diagnosis and treatment of disease.”

According to the article “the scores of PDA readings were significantly higher than those of monitor readings when all observers’ readings are taken into account” and “no statistically significant differences between handheld device and monitor findings were found for the PDA wrist images or in the iPod Touch devices studies, although some comparisons did approach significance.”

An interesting follow-up to this study would be to insert an iPad into the same scenario against the iPod touch. I would be very interested to see how radiologists would react to that. The iPad would offer similar functionality to the iPod touch with the advantage of a larger screen. I can only speculate that more screen real estate would be preferred over less screen real estate for radiologists if given a choice. Just a thought.

Unless you’ve been comatose for a while, you’ve certainly heard about the Apple iPad. The device has already been crowned the de facto device for everything from e-reading to creating a new wave in healthcare unlike anything we’ve ever seen. Of course this is all speculation as the device hasn’t been officially released yet.

Many people have speculated that the iPad will be a great device for healthcare. Whether or not that will be the case remains to be seen. One thing is for certain: everyone is banking on the iPad being a big hit in healthcare. Based on the success of the iPhone as a favorite among physicians and nurses, this certainly isn’t a wild prediction. Will this success translate to the pharmacy? Good question.
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As usual there were a lot of things that happened during the week, and not all of it was pharmacy or technology related. Here’s a quick look at some of the stuff I found interesting.

- What’s that? Oh, Avatar is still #1 at the box office. It’s now #2 on the list of top grossing movies of all time with its crosshairs squarely set on #1.

- KevinMD: “But when this health-care reform package passes, and if it does to the economy and to medical practice what many of us fear, will anyone be accountable? Will they step up and say, ‘yep, that was me! Sorry, I’ll try to fix it!’ It’s unlikely. That’s not how politics are conducted.” – Scary thought

- The Apple iPad was announced this week. It’s basically a giant iPod Touch. It isn’t available for purchase yet, but is already creating quite a buzz in heath care. Every card carrying clinician is claiming the iPad is going to revolutionize how they practice health care. I’m looking forward to getting my hands on one and spending some quality time figuring out how best to use it, but I’m a little gun shy about making claims like that.

- You can find positive blog posts on the iPad everywhere, so here a couple of negatives to help balance it out: interesting view from a 16-year old boy and another from VentureBeat and one final one from GottaBeMobile.

- Hitler responds to the iPad. I find these “Hitler” videos very funny. Be warned, however, they contain some offensive language.

- Here’s a tablet PC survey aimed at health care spurred on by the arrival of the iPad.

- Healthcare IT Consultant Blog: “Medical records for about 4,400 UCSF patients are at risk after thieves stole a laptop from a medical school employee in November, UCSF officials said Wednesday. The laptop … stolen on or about Nov. 30 … was found in Southern California on Jan. 8. There is no indication that unauthorized access to the files or the laptop actually took place, UCSF officials said, but patients’ names, medical record numbers, ages and clinical information were potentially exposed.” – This is why you never, ever store patient information on any type of physical media be it hard drive, CD, flash drive, etc. This is also why storage of patient information on the cloud should be considered.

- This is funny.

- Pharmcotherapy : “The genetic study of disease states can be the stepping stones for thoroughly understanding the genetic basis of ADEs. Gene polymorphisms are implicated in the development of diseases and corresponding disease-like ADEs.” – Pharmacogenetics, the study of genetic variation on the effects of drug, has been around for several years now, but has never really taken hold like many thought it would. The idea behind genetic testing to determine how you will respond to medications makes sense, but I don’t see it in practice. I wonder why?

- The Palmdoc Chronicles: “VisualDx Mobile for the iPhone and iPod Touch aids physicians in their decision making efforts by increasing diagnostic accuracy, helping to reduce health care costs associated with unnecessary return visits, referrals, and tests– all of which increase patient satisfaction.” – Clinical decision support for the iPhone/iPod touch.

Endgadget: “Researchers aim to give surgeons 3D maps, directions of human body – the group’s TLEMsafe system does provide surgeons with a complete 3D map of the lower body, which can actually be personalized for each individual patient, giving surgeons a reference and means to practice before any actual surgery takes place — and, yes, even an “automated navigation system” during surgery.” – Pretty cool stuff.

- LiveScience: “Researchers have built a new super-small “nanodragster” that improves on prior nanocar designs and could speed up efforts to craft molecular machines.” – This is amazing, The nanodragster is built using a combination of phyenylene-ethynylene molecules for the chassis and buckyball wheels. Cool!

- medGadget: “To see if clinical measurements can be performed using a cheaper solution, researchers at University of Melbourne tested Nintendo’s Wii Balance Board (WBB) against a laboratory-grade force platform (FP), and concluded that the cheaper option can provide results “suitable for the clinical setting” – So having a Wii is totally worth it, right?

- ASHP: “Health care facilities can expect the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by October to release a set of best practices for managing excess, expired, and unwanted pharmaceuticals.” – What to do with these medications has always been an issue.

- LA Times: “Unfortunately, even great stories have their endings, and the chapter on Warner’s NFL career closed today when the 38-year-old quarterback announced his retirement.” – I’m disappointed for my team, but happy for Warner. The man is a class act and a lock for the Hall of Fame. Check out his stats sometime. They are impressive. Kurt Warner is one of the few professional football players that I would like to meet in person. Perhaps I’ll get the opportunity some day. Good luck Kurt.

- I went 1-1 last weekend, bringing my playoff record to 7-3. The Vikings game was one of those rare moments in the NFL where the better team lost. Even with all the Vikings turnovers and bad penalty calls, they were only one play away from a trip to Miami for the Super Bowl. I was really hoping the Vikings could pull it off, but it wasn’t meant to be. My hat goes off to the Saints for hanging staying in the game. Now I hope Favre retires and enjoys being one of the greatest quarterbacks to have ever played the game.

- I’ll give you my Super Bowl pick next week.

Have a great weekend everyone.