Hospital Clinicians' iPad Use: An Interim Report

Abstract

An increasing number of hospital libraries are supporting the use of tablet computers such as iPads for access to information resources. To date, this adoption of tablets is not supported by high-quality research evidence. This article provides an interim report on a formal study of clinicians' use of iPads in the hospital setting, currently being conducted at Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia. Other hospital librarians may wish to consider similar factors when beginning to support the use of tablet computers at their own institutions.

KEYWORDS:

• Handheld computers
• hospital libraries
• iPads
• mobile devices
• program development
• research

Acknowledgments

This project has been funded with federal funds from the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, under Contract No.HHS-N-276-2011-00003-C with the University of Pittsburgh, Health Sciences Library System.

Comments and suggestions should be sent to the Column Editors: Cheryl R. Dee ([email protected]), Margaret Bandy ([email protected]), Kate Daniels ([email protected]), and Priscilla L. Stephenson ([email protected]).