New medical tablet from Sanwell offers RFID, barcode scanner

Samwell has introduced a tablet PC designed specifically for the medical industry. The tablet is dubbed the MCA9 and offers a 1.6GHz Atom processor, a two megapixel camera, a RFID reader and optional bar code scanner, and an 8.9-inch TFT-LCD touch screen that is readable in sunlight. According to Samwell: “designed for medical application, the … Read more

Cool Technology for Pharmacy

This weeks cool technology comes by way of a comment left at RxInformatics.com in response to a recent post I wrote on smartphones and pharmacy practice.

The author of the comment, @pillguy, is an iPhone fanboy and pharmacy technology guru.

@pillguy:  “The iPhone certainly has some promising applications related to EHRs. Airstrip is one of the coolest I have seen.

The smartphone takes PDAs to the next level with access to realtime information. I can see a TheraDoc, Pharmacy OneSource, or Zynx type clinical monitoring/alerting app fit in with the Airstrip suite nicely.”

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The 10,000-hour rule to becoming an expert

Non-Clinical Medical Jobs: “According to this article on TheLadders.com: “It takes 10,000 hours of dedicated effort to become an expert performer in any field.” Dan Coughlin from The Coughlin Company attributes the conclusion above to the best-selling books “Outliers” by Malcolm Gladwell and “Talent is Overrated” by Geoff Colvin as well as the new hit … Read more

Year end thoughts for 2009

2009 brought many new and exciting changes not only in my personal life, but in the world of pharmacy and technology as well. I’ve learned many new things, gained some skills previously absent from my armamentarium, met some great new people, discovered the “real” internet for the first time, traveled more than ever before, discovered I don’t know diddly squat about a great many things, and am more excited about the next year than I can remember in recent history.

Below is a list of opinions about a great many things that I have seen and done over the past year. Some are pharmacy related, some are technology related, some are personal, and some are just random thoughts.

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Are smartphones a viable platform for pharmacy practice?

It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of tablet PCs. In fact, I can’t imagine life without one. The reason why acute care pharmacists haven’t adopted the tablet PC platform escapes me. My complete opinion on the matter can be found here.

With the growing need for real-time access to patient data it no longer makes sense to be anchored to a desktop PC at the point-of-care. Couple this with the rapid growth of portable technology and you have a rare opportunity to develop a mobile pharmacy practice in the acute care setting. Whether that model will utilize tablet PCs, UMPCs, WebStations, netbooks or other mobile device remains to be seen.

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Top 10 most read CE activities for Pharmacists in 2009

MedscapeCME/CE has compiled a list of the top 10 most read CE activities by Pharmacists in 2009. 1. Avoiding Medication Errors in Psychiatry – 1.00 knowledge-based ACPE (0.100 CEUs) 2. Avoiding Errors Associated With Insulin Therapy – 1.25 knowledge-based ACPE (0.125 CEUs) 3. FAQs in the Modern Management of Gout – 1.00 knowledge-based ACPE (0.100 … Read more

Dual screen laptops are pretty cool

When I first heard of the concept of a dual screen laptop my initial thought was that it was a ridiculous idea. Then I spent a little time researching the product and have changed opinion. Now I’d like to put my hands on one.

The Kohjinsha DZ dual-screen laptop is much smaller then I expected, which is a good thing. The device offers two 10.1” screens, giving you some nice screen real estate when both are open. Additional features include biometric fingerprint identification, 1.3 megapixel webcam, up to 4 GB RAM, built in wireless, a 3-in-1 media slot and Windows 7 Home Premium.

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Merry Christmas

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch of their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great … Read more

Cool Technology for Pharmacy

Pandora Data Systems (PDS) is a company that, in the past, has designed software solutions to take information from automated dispensing cabinets (ADCs) like Pyxis, store it, manipulated it, run queries against it and produce reports that allow pharmacy departments to view medication usage trends; including trends to identify diversion.PDS now appears to be expanding … Read more