Citrix Virtualization for the iPad

In my past few blog posts, I’ve discussed the rapid penetration of iPad’s by health care providers. Virtualization is another reason why iPad’s are being readily adopted in the clinical setting.

Citrix’s Receiver application is a free app available for the iPad which allows users to access their virtualized Windows applications. In addition, it let users access and view both Adobe Flash-and Microsoft Silverlight-based Web sites, which isn’t allowed through Apple’s Safari. With Citrix Receiver, the iPad can provide most of the functionality of a desktop, including an on screen keyboard.

Nick Volosin, ISS director of technical Kaweah Delta Health District in Visalia, CA stated “It [iPad] gets the physicians in the patient rooms more, if the physician is in the room charting-versus at the document desk—the patient feels that they’re present. The patient can ask questions. They don’t have to push the nurse call button as much.”

If your organization has Citrix servers already install, it would be prudent to do due diligence on allowing connectivity via their Receiver app for the iPad. If your organization doesn’t have Citrix but considering it, enumerate this feature as a pro for installing Citrix.

iPad, Embraced By Health Care Providers

In one of my previous blog posts, Rapid Integration, I discussed the rapid adoption rate of tablet computers, iPads in particular, by physicians. One of my blog readers asked what were my thoughts on why the iPad was readily embraced by physicians?

Actually, healthcare providers have been using the iPhone for several years now for everything from voice recording to clinical data entry via the mass selection of apps that are available for this platform. So the rapid adoption rate of iPad by physicians really came as no surprise. However, I think there are a couple of characteristics that made the iPad even more attractive to health care providers.

First the price, for a few hundred bucks you can have the processing power of a desktop computer in your hands and/or lab jacket at a fraction of the weight and size. Secondly the apps, basically the iPad can run all of the apps available on the iPhone, and it can be used to enter data directly into EHR and CPOE systems. Thirdly the size, the iPad is about the same size as patient charts so carrying around an iPad is not awkward. Also the larger screen on the iPad makes it easier to obtain and enter information, and share this info with the patient.

Now if Jobs (Apple’s CEO) and Narayen (Adobe’s CEO) could settle their differences so the iPad can run Adobe’s Flash, this would open the iPad to many more applications.