Florida, Idaho hospitals test iPad for patient education

You may have heard about the launch of Apple's iPad, and how the device seems to be drawing a lot of interest from healthcare circles. It's not only seen as something clinicians can use to chart patient encounters, but also as a tool for patient education.

The newly expanded Walt Disney Pavilion at Florida Hospital for Children in Orlando and St. Luke's Health System in Boise, Idaho, last week began testing a customized version of an app called Medical Video jLog from Eagle, Idaho-based Unity Medical, Health Data Management reports. Florida Hospital for Children will employ iPads as a way of explaining tests such as CT scans and MRIs to children with videos and interactive question-and-answer features. St. Luke's has loaded its iPads with with about 20 educational videos on topics such as heart and vascular procedures and physical therapy.

"This application will support our patient resource specialists in ensuring that children and their parents understand and feel comfortable with important medical procedures and mitigate any potential fears or concerns they may have," Marla Silliman, administrator of Florida Hospital for Children, says to the Orlando Business Journal.

For more information:
- see this Health Data Management news brief
- read this Orlando Business Journal article

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