Apple's iPad is making rounds in healthcare. Its ergonomic design, long battery life, and beautiful user interface (UI) gives other tablets a run for their money. Several reports indicate that the iPad is growing in popularity among physicians. As a result, more and more electronic medical record (EMR) vendors are releasing iPad-specific versions of their EMRs. Some offer native iPad EMRs; others offer web-browser access through the iPad. However, there is no perfect iPad EMR solution. Each type of deployment has it benefits and drawbacks. In this guide we review the three main iPad EMR options:
- Web-based EMRs. These systems are used through a web browser, and can therefore be accessed using the iPad's Safari browser. They are great for many reasons.
- Remote access EMRs. Most client/server, on-premise EMRs can be accessed from a remote system, including iPads, through utilities like Citrix. This isn't ideal, but it works.
- Native iPad EMRs. These are probably what you want most – a slick app developed just for the iPad – but the options are very limited so far. You might have to wait.
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