New Tablet PC in medical school

[cmspilot]

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Just curious how many people know about the new tablet pc and if anyone is using or are planning on using the tablet computer for medical school. l just got my tablet computer and i can take notes in class by pen writing input , read medical books, wirelessly access the internet and email , and run any windows program , all in a computer the size of a legal pad and weighing only 3 pounds. Writing is with a special digitizer pen and the handwriting recognition converts your writing to text with surprising accuracy or you can leave your writing as "ink" Also, a built in microphone allows the recording of audio....which l find very useful for recording important sections of lectures to transcribe later. the screen is roughly the size of a normal piece of paper (10.1-12.1 inches). Notes can be taken using handwriting, audio, or text and saved for later use. the handwritten notes you take can then be searched corresponding to a specific topic or whatever you want to find. As more and more publishers decide to offer electronic versions of textbooks , shortly it would not be unreasonable to say that you have a whole four years curriculum of textbooks on your buiIt in tablet PC hard drive, with all the books being searchable for specific relevant topics of your choosing. The possibilities for medical education are endless.

l would like to start a discussion about this new technology, its benefits and uses to the medical student. How we can use this new tool best in the basic science years or in the clinical years as we transition to patient contact how the great portability of the tablet PC could be put to use on the hospital floor. Already I have seen great interest by physicians and hospitals about the tablet PC and the mobility and computing power it provides the clinician.

NOTE: all of the preceding text was written on my tablet pc using the pen, converted to text by the computer and sent into the text field with almost complete accuracy, as i sit on the couch with my legs propped up watching television, and no cords -wireless-amazing. 🙂

 

[Dodge This]

This reads like an advertisement for tablet PCs.

My impression is that right now it would be impractical for both the basic science years and the clinical years. We are not in the transition yet.

Many med schools rely on printed syllabi and lecture notes that the students can annotate directly. I suppose you could request the document file to open on your computer and annotate them that way, but there doesn't appear to be any obvious advantage to doing that over the current paper-based system. I've never seen anyone in my class use a tape recorder, so just the fact that a tablet PC is capable of recording audio doing that doesn't make it more useful.

There's something about printed material and bound books that seem essential to learning to me. I'd rather have 2 books and my lecture notes all open to specific pages in front of me so I can view them all if I need, rather than have to switch between active windows in a computer to see what I want to see. But yes, with practice, the tablet would probably be faster to work.

As for the clinical aspect, when the day comes that patient records are completely electronic, communication between healthcare providers will also improve. Tablets could play a very large part in that. Imagine being able to access the wireless network, call up the patient record and all the imaging and lab studies in the palm of your hands, then being able to annote the chart that way. Even then, unless technology advances to make tablets just as light as clipboards, and the price comes down so that you won't cry when it gets damaged or lost, it still won't be practical to use one.

Right now, tablet PCs are nothing more than fancy toys that don't bring anything new that would revolutionize the overall learning process.

There's more I could write about this, but it's already long enough...

 

[phllystyl]

One of my professors uses it when it isnt his lecture for our neuro class, takes notes right on the other prof's ppts which are available for us via BlackBoard.

He demod it once a bit for me before lectures, definitly a powerful little piece of gear, and I totally want one 😉

 

[uwcoxswain]

to those that either have a tablet or have seen one used...
what brand?

I have heard good things about the Gateway version, but there are atleast 5 or 6 other companies who make one.

 

[DarkChild]

damn - y'all read my mind. just yesterday i saw an ad for one. I've never seen or heard of these things before... but i'll definately get one now.
yes... i do have a gadget fetish.😛

 

[mpp]

They are considering making a tablet PC the laptop of choice for Mayo medical students...i.e., making it a requirement of matriculation. Even now, for some courses, more than half of the class uses their regular laptops to take notes directly onto the Powerpoint presentations given during lecture. Our small groups all use SmartBoards which are like very large computer screens that you can electronically annotate using whiteboard-like markers. The vast majority of patient charting and imaging is electronic and is available at almost any terminal in the clinic or hospital.

 

[ussdfiant]

Originally posted by phllystyl
One of my professors uses it when it isnt his lecture for our neuro class, takes notes right on the other prof's ppts which are available for us via BlackBoard.

He demod it once a bit for me before lectures, definitly a powerful little piece of gear, and I totally want one 😉

Dr. Marino, right?

 

[Kirk]

Hey cmspilot! What type of tablet PC are you using? Does it have a built-in keyboard, and if not do you ever miss one? There are quite a few versions available? it is a hard choice to make!

 

[cmspilot]

The brand l have is the Motion computing tablet, they are a new startup company that has gained a good market share for the medical field use of their tablet. Gateway and Dell computer companies sell tablets designed and made by Motion and then slap their logos on them. For me the larger 12.1 inch screen vs the other tablets with 10 inch screens makes all the difference in my choice. The larger screen is nice when writing notes because it is about the size of a regular piece of paper.


l feel like the only limiting factor on the tablet gaining wide spread use in the medical field and specifically by students in med school is the price. However, just like all computer prices drop fairly quickly and I predict in several years they will be as common as regular laptops in medical schools. The other problem with them becoming widely used in medicine is what l have observed frequently as "conserving the status quo", people just are hesitant to change and the medical field is notorious for sometimes being stuck in ruts.

 

[cmspilot]

The motion does not have a key board directly connected but it easily connects to one with a USB port. Since l have gotten the tablet a month ago l have used the keyboard twice. there really is not any need to use it once you master using the pen, except if you have to do alot of text Entry. If l was going to write a paper with it i would just bring along the portable keyboard that came with the computer. Other brands like the Toshiba and Acer have keyboard attached and are called "convertibles" because the convert from laptop mode to tablet mode using a hinge swivel. It really Just depends on your preference.

 

[Purifyer]

Originally posted by cmspilot
l just got my tablet computer and i can take notes in class by pen writing input , read medical books, wirelessly access the internet and email , and run any windows program , all in a computer the size of a legal pad and weighing only 3 pounds. Writing is with a special digitizer pen and the handwriting recognition converts your writing to text with surprising accuracy or you can leave your writing as "ink" Also, a built in microphone allows the recording of audio....which l find very useful for recording important sections of lectures to transcribe later. the screen is roughly the size of a normal piece of paper (10.1-12.1 inches). Notes can be taken using handwriting, audio, or text and saved for later use. the handwritten notes you take can then be searched corresponding to a specific topic or whatever you want to find. As more and more publishers decide to offer electronic versions of textbooks , shortly it would not be unreasonable to say that you have a whole four years curriculum of textbooks on your buiIt in tablet PC hard drive, with all the books being searchable for specific relevant topics of your choosing. The possibilities for medical education are endless.

You don't need all this stuff!
- why do you need to use a pen on a computer, when you can just *jot down* your own notes, onto your [paper, handout] lecture notes?
-Why would you need to read medical textbooks during a lecture? If you have no idea what the guy is talking about, either 1) ASK 2) Prepare beforehand.
- Internet?! Email//// speaks for itself
- Run any windows programme; why don't you just stay home and play games on far superior hardware? (your desktop PC)

Also, a built in microphone allows the recording of audio....which l find very useful for recording important sections of lectures to transcribe later

WHY?! would you need to record the audio of your lectures? Do you realise this will increase the time you waste by a factor of 2? If a lecturer has something important to say, or something that clarifies a minor point... just jot it down (BY HAND).

If your lecturer says things so vital and important to your medical education that you would be lost without it, and the lecture handouts don't even mention these vital points.... your lecturer sucks, talk to the dean of student affairs or something.

handwritten notes you take can then be searched corresponding to a specific topic or whatever you want to find.

..NEWSFLASH - So can, handwritten notes, written on paper! If you write your handwritten notes, on your lecture notes (which correspond to a specific topic)... then merely find the lecture to find the notes!

I'm as technophillic as the next, but having such extravagant technologies with (as I see it) NO benefit whatsoever in a preclinical context... what is the point? It sort of reminds me of those clincal students who are mocked for buying ridiculously expensive stethoscopes that they have no understanding of the nuances of.

 

[mpp]

One advantage computers (tablet or otherwise) have over paper lecture notes is the ability to annotate a diagram, graph, photograph, photomicrograph, etc., as the professor is speaking. I have yet to see adequate paper reproduction of the photos and diagrams shown in the lectures given in class. On the computer you can have these diagrams on your screen and annotate them as necessary with text, lines, arrows, etc. If you have yet to do this, you don't know what you are missing. It is invaluable as compared to the traditional black & white photocopy of a color diagram.

 

[cmspilot]

purifier -i am sure you are very happy with how you do things - and if you see no advantages to newer technologies that make our lives easier in certain ways than fine - but lets be serious there are reasons why some people may want to get rid of paper to some degree . i think about how many notebooks stuffed full of class notes l have. l personally wouldn't mind saving class notes from previous classes in an easy, searchable way that minimizes space used. The computer is an answer for that. Sure it's not for everyone, but if you can't see the advantage in having all of your class notes from every class you have EVER taken in your whole life in one place on a computer, the size of a small notebooK.

Imagine the two of us are studying for a test.... we want to get out of the house -maybe study at the library. l essentially can take just my small tablet -have all my lecture notes and all my books with me from which to draw upon when studying . For You it would not be possible to have such vast resources at your fingertips ... and if your fine with that oK. But for me, and i am sure a lot of others this would be a useful capability.

But this is just one reason l find the tablet PC such a good tool to study with, but l can say it may not be for everyone. It just depends on your preferences ...but you just can't deny that there are many potential advantages to the idea. My purposes for starting this post where simply to see if anyone else found the tablet to be as great a study tool as l do now and to describe my experience with the new computer so that people who may not have known about its possibilities might learn something.

 

[Dodge This]

Originally posted by cmspilot
The brand l have is the Motion computing tablet, they are a new startup company that has gained a good market share for the medical field use of their tablet.

It's great that you are enchanted with your new gadget, but do you hold some kind of interest in that company? The first post was already written like an advertisement, but everything you've written since then has read like a sales pitch.

I am not resistant to technology and I love new toys just as much as the next person, but I agree with a lot of what Purifyer wrote regarding the use of a tablet in the pre-clinical years.

The point of having unlimited resources at your finger tips is moot when talking about a tablet PC. Everything a tablet can do in terms of e-books and Internet access can be accomplished by a notebook. The only "edge" a tablet has is the direct annotation of electronic lecture notes, but I dont' believe this is enough to justify an investment in one.

When would anyone ever need to have all of their lecture notes they've ever taken with them at one time? If you're doing something that requires more than a 1-2 textbooks and the last few weeks of lecture notes, you're either not studying efficiently, not planning ahead, or utilizing too many resources that could actually detract from your studying.

As part of the classroom learning experience, tablets won't replace pen and paper. Price is a major factor. Another, for lack of a better term, I'll call interactivity. Some people want to be able to flip back and forth between pages and have books open out in front of them. It's more active than pressing a pen to a screen. Lastly, as good as displays may get on any kind of computer, your eyes will always get tired faster looking at the illuminated screen compared to printed material on paper.

However, as part of patient-care, I could see tablets playing an integral part in the revolution of information-sharing and patient-charting, as I wrote in my previous post.

 

[cmspilot]

Did I ever say this would revolutionize the world of medicine? I find it useful for God sake, we have some real uptight people in here.

 

[southerndoc]

Originally posted by cmspilot
Just curious how many people know about the new tablet pc and if anyone is using or are planning on using the tablet computer for medical school.

The only thing missing from this advertisement is a brand name of Tablet PC to buy.

Tablet PC's are impractical for me. The short battery life (~3 hours) is a big turnoff for me spending $1500-2500 on a tablet PC.

As far as wireless connectivity is concerned, I get wireless connectivity with my iPAQ PDA. It's nice to roam anywhere in teh city and be able to surf the web and get email anytime. When I'm at home, it automatically connects to my 802.11b wireless network instead of my cell company's wireless internet access, so I don't use up my cell company's net minutes. And it fits in my pocket, unlike the tablet PC.

 

[vietcongs]

impressive...but my toshiba pocket pc has all those features for a fraction of the price.

 

[NYGirl12]

I'm thinking of buying a Powerbook...Is it advisable to still get a tablet PC even if you already have a laptop? what are the advantages of tablet pc compared to a laptop?

 

[Purifyer]

Originally posted by NYGirl12
I'm thinking of buying a Powerbook...Is it advisable to still get a tablet PC even if you already have a laptop? what are the advantages of tablet pc compared to a laptop?

I think you have too much money ... please donate some to the IWMS (International Welfare for Medical students fund)

;D

 

[cmspilot]

tablet PC vs laptop

Regular Laptop Advantages :

New Laptops have much faster processor speeds with Pentium 4 and speeds around 2 GhZ or higher , tablets have Pentium 3 or Transmeta processor speeds from around 1 Ghz. Now for my needs the speed hasn't really been an issue for me. Tablets are plenty fast, but if you run high intensity programs it may be noticeable at times.

Larger screen size usually around 15 inch on Laptops, tablets have between 10 inch and 12 inch screens. The smaller size is useful for mobility on the tablet , however for some people the smaller screen can be an issue.

Keyboard attached always on laptops. "Slate" tablets do not have a keyboard attached, which can be difficult if you need to do alot of text entry...the tablet is not a good option in the slate mode if this is what you need from your computer in school. However, there are tablet PC's that are called "convertibles" because they are just like regular laptops but then convert into tablets that allow pen input.

PRICE: now here is where the real advantage is right now with the regular laptops , simply stated the price is much better with a laptop. l do think that prices will go down to where a tablet is the preferred choice of medical students.



Tablet PC Advantages

Mobility: easily the biggest advantage of the tablet pc -having the power of a complete computer with up to 60 GB hard drive, Windows XP operating system all at your fingertips. (sure a PDA is mobile, but we all know it isn't supposed to be a complete computer)

Pen controlled/pen input : a regular laptop does not have the ability to be controlled without a Keyboard and mouse-type input -decreasing mobility. The pen can be used to do everything a mouse does: point, click, etc. The pen input allows for the ability to write notes directly on the computer screen.


Conclusion

ok, before you pessimists (sp) start ripping on me again for "advertising" -I tried to list both the advantages and the limitations of the tablet ... now this is a matter of choice for medical students... evaluate what you want to do and how you want to do it...because yes , the tablet pc is an expensive way to get the job done right now...too expensive. But the price will drop, and then the advantages quickly become clearer. And if you can afford a little luxury right now, then you will definetly have a useful tool. But the point is, this is technology that will become common place as prices drop so lets discuss how it may be used in medical school and the medical field as we all become practicing physicians instead of resorting to confronting me on how many limitations you may percieve based on, probably, no experience by you with this technology!

 

[DoubleL]

bumping...

I want to hear more about this stuff...

I got to play with Gateway's tablet PC at one of their country stores, and it was pretty nifty, but I wasn't dying to have one either...

LL

 

[MSV MD 2B]

i bought one for med school and am loving it. someone asked why you would want to record lectures? for the same reason you would record it with a tape recorder- to listen to it later while commuting or whatever. this will come in very handy for me. many teachers use powerpoint slides during their lectures and with the tablet pc ppt version you can take notes right on the slides after you download the slideshows form blackboard. i like the fact that i can take notes in my own handwriting and convetr it to regular text if i wish or combine lecture notes with notes that i take form a textbook or review book by adding space in windows journal. also you can change pen colors fairly easily. I'm not saying that it is abosultely neccessary but it sure is great to have. i would like to have a link to those wireless medical textbooks though.
i have the toshiba portege and like the fact that it can be used as a regular notebook or a tablet is great. the only thing that i don't like is the fact that the CD drive is external. i woudl love to be abel to review stuff from the medical Cds that i have while waiting somewhere or something but the external drive doesn't make this feasible.
it is a great tool if you want to pay for it or have someone who will buy it for you but don't tablet hate those of us who have one.

the only other yucky thing is that my school doesn't have a wireless connection yet but you can still use a phone line and i don't plan on stuyding at school much anyway as i have a family.

 

[MSV MD 2B]

penguin- try writing in cursive, i found that my handwriting recognition is better when i wrtie in cursive except fro my captial Js. this mainly helps with the tablet input panel. with windows journal i haven't had many problems. you have to really train the speech recognition though. at leats if you use it from the tablet input panel.
i suggest the toshiba portege because you can use both the tablet and the notebook functions. someone said that it gets really hot but i haven't noticed this and i used it on my lap while on a car trip recently. also you don't have to worry about putting the shield on becuase it folds up like a regular notebook. i was concerned that i would turn the screen the wrong way and break it but now that i am using it, i don't see how this is possible.
let me knwo if you have any other questions.

 

[ussdfiant]

How can you record lectures? Sometimes I can barely hear the lectures because the lecture hall is so big.

 

[Febrifuge]

By the time I'm ready to start medschool, Tablets might be ready to use. I'm waiting for one I can drop from hip-height, spill coffee on, and clean with a damp rag. Otherwise, not yet practical. And still too expensive. I'm with the "give it 3 years" crowd.

But EMS systems are starting to experiment as well. I know some money has been sunk into writing software and ruggedizing the cases. Writing a prehospital report that beams to the ED's screens as soon as you write, sitting in the back of the ambulance, would be undeniably cool.

 

[ItsGavinC]

Originally posted by ussdfiant
How can you record lectures? Sometimes I can barely hear the lectures because the lecture hall is so big.

No, you don't understand, he sits on the front row. Not the second or third, but THE front row 😀

 

[MSV MD 2B]

Originally posted by ItsGavinC
No, you don't understand, he sits on the front row. Not the second or third, but THE front row 😀

AND.... the point is?

Have you never taped a lecture before? okay maybe you haven't but even with a tape recorder you do have to sit fairly close to get good sound quality so that is not something new with the tablet pc. actually i usually sit in the second or third row in the center.

 

[docuw]

I would have loved to have had a tablet PC in the first 2 years. All of the lectures are now on PowerPoint and all are available online before the start of the lecture (usually). To be able to take notes on a COLOR image is invaluable. We were always taking notes on the BW handouts, and then had to go home at night and download it again to figure out what they were pointing at. Taking notes directly on the color slides would make it worth any price. If I were starting the first 2 years all over again, and knowing what I know now, I would have gotten a Tablet vs any other laptop or desktop.

 

[Penguin Poptart]

docuw- how would you take notes on the color slide? By inserting a page with your text? or by writing with the "pen" right on the page. Would there be enough space for that? The "pen" seems harder to control to a small sized font than a regular pen.


MSV MD 2B-- thanks for those details. It seems like you've pretty much mastered your tablet which gives me more confidence in them.

 

[docuw]

If I HAD one, I would have taken notes with the pen directly on the powerpoint slides for photos. If it were a text slide without enough space (rare) I spose you could make a new slide. But considering you take notes on the handouts anyhow in a very random fashion, I think it would be just as easy to write all over the slide while on the PC (and in color). Had I not been at the end of my m2 year when these things became popular, I would have grabbed one. At one point, I considered just buying a pen pad for my laptop - but I still wouldnt have had the Tablet version of Powerpoint to take the notes with. anyhow, good luck!

 

[paramed2premed]

Originally posted by Febrifuge
... Writing a prehospital report that beams to the ED's screens as soon as you write, sitting in the back of the ambulance, would be undeniably cool.

I write runsheets during transport only when I have time to kill, and not much to do during that time. These patients are precisely the sort that the ED staff is not itching to hear about in "real time." I am not certain what technology could do to improve on the old-fashioned verbal report.

I count myself amongst the Luddites, I guess. Once you get much beyond a pen, some blank sheets of paper, and a text, it's all toys. If the baubles and bright lights of gadgets help you stay motivated, more power to you. I don't think I will worry about a "digital divide" in the classroom, however.

Plus, my pen works fine if I drop it, or stir my coffee with it!
😛

 

[Samoa]

I have one and really like it. It's nice to be able to take notes without all the paper to keep track of--I just have a folder for each class and save the notes accordingly. I find that, although my cursive is loopy and atrocious, it recognizes my printing very well.

In addition, we have a note-taking service at my school, and I just talked to them today about sending out the notes as text files to our e-mail addresses. That way I can download them into my folders and be almost completely paperless.

Histo slides and Netter's anatomy drawings are available on disc, so that also helps lighten the book load. And some of our profs are posting their PP lecture slides online. So I think it's a lot more practical than it was even as little as a year ago.

Things that aren't so great: battery life is short, and it's inconvenient to go back and forth between writing and typing. The screen could be bigger, and the slides could be available prior to lecture, so that I can take notes directly on them.

Also, it was expensive, so it's hard to recommend it to people who are living on student loans. I bought mine while I was still working full time, which was taking a big chance because I didn't know at the time whether I'd be able to make much use of it at school. But I'm happy with it, and I absolutely love the idea of leaving all the paper behind.