Thank you Steve Jobs

   This morning, I turned on my t.v. to Good Morning America to find that Apple visionary Steve Jobs had died.  As quotes, speeches, and memories about Jobs were reminisced upon, it got me to thinking, "Have Apple products changed the way things are done in the medical field"? And the answer to that is, ABSOLUTELY.  

   When I first started working for doctors, I only associated iPads with reading, music, and playing games like the ever-popular Words With Friends and Angry Birds.  Little did I know, the iPad was being used for much more serious things rather than just a tool for passing the time.  Many doctors, including Dr. Marquez, have several ipads at their nurse's stations to read x-rays, take notes, communicate with their colleagues, and get in touch with their patients STAT.  The iPad has changed the swiftness in which doctors and their staff care for their patients. 

   In the past, if a doctor was in surgery and had patients getting x-rays at his practice, he could not read those x-rays until out of surgery...and we all know how crucial time is when you have a broken bone.  Now, with the iPad on staff, x-rays can be read clearly and quickly.  The medical staff just sends the image over to the doctor, he reads it, and emails his staff with the prognosis.

   Note-taking is another benefit of the ipad.  It seems (in our practice at least) that paper has become a material of the past.  With electronic charts and e-filing, the necessity for paper products has become minimal. Consider the iPad the new, and improved, version of the sticky note...except we don't crumble up the iPad when we're done with it.

   Schedules are constantly changing at doctor's offices.  Cancel. Re-schedule. Cancel. Cancel. Re-schedule.  The amendments are never-ending.  The iPad has assisted our medical staff in staying on top of the schedule which in turn provides our patients with better service.  And who doesn't like that?

   Apple products, as a whole, have improved the workflow in a variety of environments and industries.  They have made us more efficient and more effective.  Without Jobs' futuristic mindset, technology, as we know it, may be lagging at least 10 years.  He brought his creations to life by trusting that it was possible.  He had it right when he said, "You have to trust in something -- your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever.  This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life." (Stanford University commencement address- 2005). 

Thank you Steve Jobs for making all of our jobs a little more manageable.