The idea seems as if it could be straight from an episode of Star Trek.  Nurses and physicians using tablet-sized computers at a patient’s bedside in lieu of typical paper charts.  Then again, how unreasonable can that seem when robots are already being used to assist with surgeries?

But as each new wave of technology comes around, the health care industry is quick to see how it can be utilized to improve patient treatment.  Innovations in modern medicine such as x-ray technology really made health care professionals aware the final frontier had not yet been realized.  Now a new question is coming to light: Could tablet computers be the next big chapter in health technology?

In Iowa, one hospital is already attempting to boldly go where no medical professional has gone before.  At Cherokee Regional Medical Center (CRMC,) the new Apple iPad is getting its debut on the medical floor.

The initiative has been led by Jessica Mattioda, nurse supervisor at CRMC, who felt that the new tablet computing device could have many applications within her hospital.

“After hearing of paramedics using iPhones in the field, and seeing doctors use applications on PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants or palm top computers) to look up medication information, I thought that Cherokee Regional Medical Center could definitely benefit from this cutting edge computer technology. After researching the possibilities, I was confident that the iPads would be a good fit for our needs,” Jessica said.

The Apple iPad is the first device in a whole new generation of what are being dubbed as tablet computers.  Roughly the size of a notepad, the user installs specialized programs (known as “apps” in pop culture).  These apps are controlled on the tablet by touching one’s fingers to the screen to type, tap and manipulate objects within the app.

When first rolled out, Apple and other tech sources on the internet touted high hopes for its potential use in the health care industry.  Hospitals such as CRMC are finding many uses for the iPad so far, including the use of a surprisingly large library of apps that can assist with administrative tasks, tracking vitals and research.  Hospitals will also want to keep their eye out for apps that are designed for handling and sending electronic health records.  However, it goes without saying that security is everything in health care tech.  CRMC extensively researches all apps it is considering and ultimately only uses apps that come from verified sources.

While the concept of the tablet device is not new, Apple has set the bar high by modeling the iPad off of the iPhone, which has already broken many barriers in how users utilize mobile computing technology.  Even in a few short months since the iPad’s release, the competition already have their hands full when trying to design and curtail their own products that may attempt to challenge the iPad. This is important to know because Apple is not the lone dog in the show.  Companies such as HP and Cisco have already announced their own tablet devices and tech industry reports already indicate that over 50 tablet device products will be unveiled in 2010 alone.

Hospitals interested in incorporating this new technology will be wise to keep up with what’s coming out because while Apple’s iPad is designed with everyone’s uses in mind, certain devices are rumored to be in development that will have industry-specific purposes.  It’s possible that the best tablet option for Iowa’s hospitals has yet to be revealed.

Construction has begun on the fiber optic connection to the Iowa Rural Health Telecommunications Program (IRHTP) network for IHA. The work is part of the IHA –coordinated network that is connecting dozens of hospitals all over the state. 

The Iowa Rural Health Telecommunications Program (IRHTP) is a joint effort consisting of a consortium of more than 80 Iowa rural and urban hospitals, IHA and the Iowa Communications Network (ICN) with the purpose to connect Iowa hospitals to a dedicated broadband fiber network using existing ICN infrastructure. 

The fiber build-out provides “last mile” fiber connection for the hospitals, Radiology Consultants of Iowa, Iowa Radiology and IHA to the closest appropriate ICN point of presence. 

With the fiber build-out complete for 12 IRHTP hospitals, another 17 in progress and another 10 connected by indefeasible right of use contracts (a 20-year lease of two strands of fiber), the build out of the IRHTP network is well underway.  Once the electronic network core is tested and operational the hospital end point electronics will be installed and tested to complete the connection to the IRHTP network. 

What does connecting to a fiber optic network mean for Iowa hospitals?  The primary benefit is being able to quickly transfer massive amounts of data to and from the hospital.  This ability is especially valuable in the area of medical imaging; high-resolution x-rays, CT, MRI and PET scans create very large files that are slow to transfer and have a tendency to “bog down” typical networks.  But with fiber-based networks, these images can be shared quickly and efficiently, a crucial tool for hospitals that need images analyzed by a radiologists in other locations. 

Fiber technology also offers opportunities to use “tele-health” to connect individual health care professionals and patients.  This technology is already being used to connect remote sessions between mental health professionals and patients, making it an important tool for states like Iowa, which has a severe shortage of psychiatrists.

For IHA, the broadband network holds the promise of bringing together hospital leaders and staff from all over the state without requiring travel, increasing IHA’s ability to provide education and information to Iowa’s hospitals and their 74,000 employees. It will also provide more efficient data transmission between IHA and hospitals, an important function as IHA continues to be the hub for a growing collection of hospital-based data in Iowa.

Twitter, the microblogging website that allows users to post status updates of 140 characters or less, is no longer a portal just for  technology geeks or internet stars. News agencies, nonprofits, celebrities and television shows are joining in droves, as is evident by the microblogging service generating 4 million unique visitors in the U.S. to its website in February 2009.

However, long before you could follow The Ellen Show or Ashton Kutcher on Twitter, U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley was posting (also called “tweeting”) with the service while at events in Iowa (see Grassley’s first tweet from November 26, 2007).

Tweets from the Senator encompass what he is up to during the day and read as if he was holding a conversation one-on-one with his audience.

Whether it be “Ran in 45degree weather Tues morn. On way frigid iowa. Don’t LOL. TTYL” or “Just finishd hour long meeting in Rep caucus w Obama. He was recd well. Good discusion on stimulus and recession,” Grassley uses the 140-character platform to inform his 4,900+ followers about current issues, upcoming appearances and his role as a representative of the state of Iowa. Read more