On a recent business trip, I had the chance to swing by my mother-in-law's with plans to take her to dinner.  No dummy am I, the value of such a move was obvious and evident. 

Instead, I ended up taking her to the emergency room with some heart issues.  Fortunately, she is OK and that was probably worth more than a nice dinner.

Twice, first in the ER, then later in the room with the consulting cardiologist, I saw young physicians whip out their iPhone to make a quick check on an unusual medication she was taking.  It was fast, easy, and as integrated into their workflow and thinking as the pager of old.  Both times, the information changed their thinking and the discussion about her diagnosis.

Thus, it was no surprise when a read the story that 80% of physicians are reported as using a smart phone or mobile device in their practice.  The math in the overview story is a little fuzzy, but the headline holds none the less.

This study, and my personal anecdote, suggest a couple of things.

Docs, especially younger ones, are not at all hesitant about integrating technology into their work. No surprise there.  This group is more comfortable thumbing a keyboard in the palm of their hand than sitting in a corner talking quietly to a dictation machine.

However, this usage was for a very specific, very focused task (looking up an unknown med).  The technology clearly beat the alternative (Hey, where the heck is the PDR?).  How this type of usage gives way to bigger footprint applications (the EHR) remains to be seen, but implementers would be wise to take this natural willingness to use these devices and build upon it.