Digital Pens and ‘Smart Paper’ Transforming Health IT

Healthcare providers around the world agree that quality patient care is their top priority, and capturing patient data digitally is critical to improving patient care. Today, most healthcare processes are still paper-based. Many healthcare providers are concerned about the risk of inaccuracy, disruption of workflow, and harm to patient care quality involved in adopting new and complicated data-capture and password encumbered tools like in-room computers, laptops or tablet PCs.

Using a digital pen and smart paper forms makes every sense from the critical perspectives of patient interactions to reducing the expense of data capture and digital document management. Its day has in my opinion- arrived. Whether it be in hospitals, medical practices, SNFs, VNAs or Home Care it just makes sense – economically and operationally.

We all know the drill. Enter any doctor’s office or emergency room and the first thing you get handed is a clip board. Why are the paper forms on the clip board not SMART? Using a digital pen the data can be immediately captured and electronically, instantly stored. The smart paper documents and forms can even be signed with the signature electronically captured.

The patient’s room has become a data center with as much time given over to logging-in and data capture as to discussing symptoms and giving care advice.

The next advance in health care technology will be Digital Pens, SmartpaperForms and the smart clip board. Yes, you understand it correctly. Why? Because it is simple and efficient to adopt, deploy, and use.

The benefits are too clear for the hospital or medical practice to avoid the inevitable.

Patient interactions are enhanced – avoiding distracting laptops, tablets and computers during care or treatment.

Increased Accuracy and Completeness – All care giver handwritten notes are accurately captured by high precision digital capture technology built into the pen itself.

Handwritten entries and notes can be converted to digital data – automatically.

You use your existing paper forms – no expensive programming transitions to electronic forms.

Minimal Training and Workflow Interruptions – Because digital writing uses a the familiar practice of writing with pen and paper, its use requires little training and is easy to learn

Eliminate document scanning – documents are auto captured, filed and stored instantly and can be instantly shared into workflows or with other care givers.

Signatures can be captured, diagrams drawn, boxes checked, items initialed when and where necessary – simply by signing or using a digital pen

Digital writing is the perfect bridge between the paper and digital worlds.

SmartpaperForms can now be printed on typical office laser printers using common office grade paper. You retain the use of your ‘tried and true’ paper forms. SmartpaperForms eliminate the need for expensive pre-printed forms or multi-form carbon sets.

Why spend on buying laptops and tablets and managing all the surrounding security concerns when you can now just print your existing health care and business forms as smart paper forms and use a secure digital pen? Capture handwritten entries and notes, and capture the form and the data instantly using digital pen technology.

I forecast that digital pen and smart paper will become the new kid on the health care block – fast and soon.

If you would like to discuss my experiences with digital pen technology in health care simply call me at 603-580-5497 or e-mail me at mike@chartacloud.com I’d be happy to share what I have learned.