But is the iOS the right mobile platform for pharmacy? I’m sure there are many people throughout healthcare that would argue that it is. I myself am a fan of the Android OS and would argue that it is actually a better fit for the simple reason that the platform lends itself to open development while the iOS has been largely closed to outside thought. In other words Mr. Jobs wants you to do it his way or no way, and that’s fine if you’re ok with that. I’m not. Of course you could argue that the iOS is the way to go and I couldn’t prove you wrong. At this point it’s a personal decision.

I use the Android OS as my personal mobile operating system of choice. I’ve found that it meets most, if not all of my needs. While I believe it is a better option for pharmacy than the iOS, I do not think it is the best option. Instead I find myself increasingly intrigued by the webOS, which offers some very interesting features.

The most recent version of the webOS, webOS 2.0 or HP webOS as I’ve seen it called, offers a user interface that in my opinion is second to none. The unique card view and stack features offered by webOS create an incredibly flexible multi-taking user experience. Combined with the ‘Just Type’ universal search feature and you have a powerful mobile platform capable of a great many things. The unfortunate reality is that the webOS has remained in relative obscurity and is currently available on a limited number of devices. The BlackBerry Playbook appears to borrow from the webOS with its similar user interface, but we won’t know the full extent of the functionality of that device for a while longer. We may see something more from the HP webOS tablet, but we’ll have to wait until 2011 to find out.

Check out the video below for more detailed information on webOS 2.0. You can’t help but be impressed by the functionality, beauty and usability of it all.

The card metaphor used by the webOS could benefit pharmacists by providing quick and easy access to several applications simultaneously. I can imagine pulling up drug information, patient records, a couple of websites, etc and quickly swipping through them to find what I’m looking for. This appears to be a better option than either the iOS or Android OS at this point. If HP would only expand the device offereings to include 5-inch, 7-inch and 10-inch screens, I believe you could have a healthcare device with extreme usability and functionality.

With all that said, at the moment there is no perfect mobile platform for pharmacists. The best operating system for use in healthcare is still the Windows OS, but it’s simply not well designed for use on mobile devices. That may change with Windows Phone 7, but it’s too early to tell. I don’t know if Microsoft will ever catch up with Apple or Google in terms of impact on the mobile computing market, but I would never count them out. Even though the webOS is probably the best option as a mobile paltform I currently have no plans to make a change. Until HP gives the end user signficantly more hardware choices I think they’ll be stuck at the back of the bus.

Just a thought.

I don’t use Epocrates myself. My mobile drug information resources of choice come from Lexi-Comp. However, Epocrates is a very popular and highly respected resource among healthcare professionals.

Unfortunately Palm and the webOS don’t appear to have a good long-term prognosis in the smartphone arena. I’ve been reading various reports that Palm may be on its way out secondary to the iPhone, BlackBerry and newer android devices. That’s really too bad. I’ve been a big fan of the Palm operating system since its inception back in the 1990’s. In fact, I would be using a Palm Pre today if it would have been available through Verizon when I purchased my DROID.

I’d love to talk with someone at Palm about building an 8-10” slate tablet device running webOS. The simplicity of the operating system and the ability to really have multiple applications open at once is very appealing. Consider that you can also run legacy Palm OS software on webOS-based devices via emulator software like Classic from Motionapps, and you really have something to like. I fear that this is only a dream, however, as I haven’t heard a peep about anything from Palm even remotely resembling a tablet device.

So, Palm, if you ever feel the need to build a tablet device please give me a call. I have some ideas for you.

FierceMobileHealthcare: “Epocrates: Nurses prefer Palm but physicians love the iPhoneA recently released survey from mobile healthcare software developer Epocrates indicates that nurses still prefer Palm PDAs and smartphones for viewing Epocrates reference tools, though the iPhone/iPod touch and BlackBerry platforms are gaining. But in an interview with FierceMobileHealthcare last week, Michelle Snyder, Epocrates’ senior VP for subscriber business, said that the iPhone is far and away the most popular device among physicians.” – The article goes on to say that Epocrates is gaining “more than 300 new docs a day on the iPhone“.No surprise there.

Medical Smartphones: “Epocrates has announced that they will be phasing out support for older Palm OS and Windows Mobile/Pocket PC devices. Specifically, older devices, including those with Palm OS less than 5 and Pocket PC 2002 OS, will lose support. If you have a Pocket PC, go into Settings, and then click on “About” to see what version you’re running. Some older devices (like some of the HP iPaq models) run Pocket PC 2002.” – This is interesting, but pretty much irrelevant. I think most healthcare professionals using mobile technology as a reference device won’t even notice the loss of support for these older devices.

Because the emulator runs inside webOS, the Palm created on the Palm Pre doesn’t have hardware buttons; however all the normal Palm buttons are available on the screen. You can continue to utilize all the basic Palm functionality, including your calendar, contacts, and memos. In addition, MotionApps is working on a software update that will allow users to HotSync the emulated Palm. I don’t know when the update will be available, but you can follow the MotionApps blog here.

Classic looks like a great piece of software, and for only 30 bucks you really can’t go wrong. If only Palm would have been smart enough to use Verizon as their exclusive carrier, or vice versa, I think I’d be using a Palm Pre right about now.

- District 9 was #1 at the box office last weekend. My wife and I plan on going to see it either tonight or Saturday. I’m really looking forward to it. Let’s hope it lives up to the hype.

- As an “IT Pharmacist” I’m always getting interesting requests. This week was no different. Two things stand out. The first was a request to help someone get a new ID badge. The look on my face must have given my feelings away because the individual turned and left with a “never mind”. The second was a request to move a printer from the shelf it was on to the one below. I’m not exactly sure what people think it is that I do, but some serious education is needed.

- There is no shortage of interest for the iPhone on the internet. This week I read two interesting blogs that gave different perspectives on medical applications for the iPhone. On The Wards took a purely inpatient view of applications available for the device, while Brian Ahier gave a little more general approach by including applications for clinical trials and finding your nearest cannabis dealer. The one glaring omission from both was the only application for the iPhone that performs pharmacokinetics calculations, RxCalc.

- EMR Daily News presented the results of the fourth annual Future Physicians of America survey by Epocrates, Inc. The focus was on
technology in medicine with some pretty interesting results. Nearly 90 percent of students think information available through mobile resources in credible, while approximately 60 percent of the students used decision-support software at least twice daily. Smartphones were centrally important to the medical students with 45 percent of those surveyed using an iPhone or iPod Touch. And the best news I’ve heard all day, 90 percent of the students surveyed felt that information from pharmaceutical sales reps was not credible. It appears that there is hope for the medical profession after all. – By the way, this sounds like a good survey to administer to pharmacy students. Who would like to help me design the questionnaire?

- Practice Fusion went crazy this week talking about cloud computing and the safety of your data. Stop by their website, it’s chock full of good information.

- IT World: “This got me thinking. Classic Palm OS is dead, practically speaking, and it has been for a long time. My friend could get an iPod touch, which does most of the same things, does them better (I saw Blazer once, and it chilled my soul), and does a lot more to boot. Plus, in a couple of weeks (at the not-yet-announced-but-not-a-surprise-to-anyone September 9 “music event”) the Touch will get better in modest ways (maybe it’ll add a camera, surely it’ll increase storage). I’m skeptical of the mythical tablet, but if it ever shows up, that might be an option, too. In the face of devices like this, it was obvious that Palm couldn’t hold out forever on TXs and Treos. Hence the Pre (which, like Android, I hope will eventually be awesome). But in the meantime, app lock-in bought Palm time to hire a bunch of Apple people to make the Pre, time that they wouldn’t have had if people like my friend could have fled more easily.” - I loved the Palm OS. I had no less than six Palm devices during their peak popularity. The OS had a simple design and was lightning fast. You might even go as far as to say that the design was the pre-cursor to the iPhone look and feel. I’m feeling a bit nostalgic at the moment. I think I’ll go pull my TRGpro out of my dresser drawer and play with it for a while.

- Medical Smartphones had an interesting post on haptic feedback for mobile devices. I love the little vibration I get from my mobile phone (LG Dare) when I press a key. I would love to see this type of feature added to the iPhone/iPod Touch. One of my biggest problems with my iPod Touch is the sensitivity of the screen and lack of tactile feedback when I’m typing.

- If you ever wanted to know about SNOMED-CT, stop by the Clinical Architecture website and watch this video. I spent a lot of time on the Clinical Architecture website this week reading about all kinds of interesting things. I highly recommend it.

- Apparently the first two Microsoft retail stores (Scottsdale, Arizona or Mission Viejo, California) are looking for a few good people to hire. I don’t know about you, but I’m excited about the idea of a Microsoft retail store. I love visiting the Apple Store because of all the neat toys, and feel that the Microsoft retail stores should be just as well stocked. Road trip anyone?

- medGadget reported on an electronic tongue that essentially tastes food for you. “At this week’s American Chemical Society’s 238th National Meeting, researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign presented a study about a sensor that can accurately detect the presence of any of the common sweeteners used in food products. The business card size sensor has color spots that activate when particular chemicals are detected, and the color pattern as a whole identifies the actual sweetener in drinks and even solid foods.” I think I like the old fashioned way better.

- Reuters is reporting that “the recession appears to be easing for U.S. hospitals, although close to a third of hospitals remain in the red, according to a study published on Wednesday. The median profit margin of U.S. hospitals rose from 0.17 percent in the third quarter of 2008 to 3.1 percent in the first quarter of 2009, the analysis from Thomson Reuters found.” – I can’t speak for the rest of the country, but the most recent news from our CEO for last quarter was positive. Here’s hoping that the trend continues.

- Medscape: “Medically Prescribed Heroin Superior to Methadone for Severe, Refractory Opioid Dependence – A new Canadian study, which was not conducted in the United States because of potential funding and approval barriers, shows that treatment with injectable diacetylmorphine — also known as medically prescribed heroin — is more effective than oral methadone for chronic, refractory opioid addiction.” - The actual article is in the August 20 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

- And finally, my laptop died again this week. In fact, it died last night while I was in the middle of writing this post. Thankfully I do almost everything online now with Google Docs and Microsoft Live Mesh, so the damage was only minor. I’m not sure how the rest of you feel about Dell machines, but I haven’t been impressed. Dell is the hardware of choice for my hospital and the folks in the IT department are taking that decision to the grave with them. I’ve asked for permission to purchase my own 15″ MacBook Pro and add it to the hospital network.  Unfortunately my request was denied in glorious fashion. With the exception of tablet PCs, I think Apple is building better machines than most Windows based manufacturers at the moment. In my opinion, the best option currently available is to purchase a MacBook Pro and install Windows 7 (when available) on top of Mac OS X Snow Leopard. Can you think of a better machine? I didn’t think so.