Tablet computers Tablet computers manufactured by companies such as Fujitsu and Acer, sold with Vet Ed Tablet™ software, are touch-screen driven
like PDAs. The software includes veterinary reference materials on drugs, dosages and differential diagnoses as well as excellent
client and staff video education programs. This allow users to print or write on patients' medical record templates or, e.g.,
on the Hill's Atlas of Anatomy on the tablet's screen, convert the letters to text and send these customized documents wirelessly to the practice's printers
or server. Copies can be sent home with clients, e-mailed to them or permanently stored in patients' computerized medical
charts. Clients can sign informed consents on the screen, as with UPS deliveries, and copies can be stored electronically in patients'
records, helping to make practices truly paperless. Tablet computers weigh less than 3.5 pounds and can easily be transported
into and out of exam rooms or vehicles. Both PDAs and tablet computers are being evaluated in veterinary teaching and clinical environments and, while most studies
are preliminary, results are generally positive. Inasmuch as organizational culture appears to factor heavily into the usage
of instructional technology, its continued and expanded use in teaching environments will likely be of significant importance
in producing "IT-friendly" clinicians. Conclusion Errors are a fact of life and are attributable to human nature. Human error has been studied in-depth for years. Of particular
interest has been the study of errors in high-risk industries such as aerospace and nuclear power, which subsequently attracted
much attention to the need for error reduction in the medical field. The rate of error in human medicine is well documented and staggeringly high. The soaring costs of professional liability
insurance for physicians and hospitals is forcing human medicine to take steps to reduce error rates. As veterinarians, it can be assumed that we commit just as many errors and for the same reasons. Reducing them in the interest
of better patient care should be a priority. The changing legal environment regarding medical and surgical standards of care amplifies the importance of error reduction.
"Reasonable" physician conduct in the wake of an adverse event now can be assessed in terms of what preventive actions might
have been implemented, rather than what actions are customary. The wealth of data available regarding potential methods for error reduction must be taken into account when analyzing adverse
outcomes. Of these potential methods, information technology has already demonstrated effectiveness and continues to hold untapped potential.
Its availability and cost-to-benefit ratio render its absence in the veterinary practice setting an almost-certain liability.
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