A recent survey shows that physicians are rapidly adopting tablet devices and smart phones in the clinical setting.

Most devices are from Apple, which is no surprise.

What struck me when reading about this survey is how the devices are being used.  Notably, the primary use is to look up information -- medications, research, treatment options and the like.  The devices are used as browser presentation tools, allowing physicians to quickly access general information that supports their decision making process.

But what is not mentioned is the use of the tablets and smart phones as data entry devices for capturing the part of the information generated by the physician.  Also not mentioned is using the tablet/smart phone to access patient-specific information, as in the data contained in the EHR.  That, too, will come. 

But right now, we primarily have a better version of the PDR.  That is a good step, but we still have barriers to overcome.