One in five physicians likely to purchase Apple iPad - study

Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
More than 60 percent of physicians who participated in a new survey have shown interest in Apple's recently announced iPad, and one in five already intend to purchase one.



This week, Epocrates Inc., the developer of mobile applications used by more than 900,000 healthcare professionals worldwide, revealed a new study of more than 350 clinicians conducted in the wake of Apple's iPad announcement. Among those surveyed, 9 percent said they plan to buy an iPad when it is immediately available, and another 13 percent intend to purchase one in the first year.



In addition, another 38 percent of respondents said they are interested in the iPad, but would like to obtain more information about the product before they decide whether or not they will purchase.



With a belief the iPad will gain traction in the health care community, Epocrates also announced this week that it intends to customize its clinical reference application, which is already available for the iPhone and iPod touch, for the iPad.



"By optimizing our software for the iPad, we are capitalizing on the larger screen real estate and interactivity provided by this sophisticated device," said Rose Crane, chief executive officer of Epocrates. "We are committed to providing the most productive experience at the point of care, keeping physicians informed and focused on the patient rather than searching for answers."



'We are continuing to explore the advanced capabilities of the iPad and ways it can help Epocrates address the evolving healthcare technology needs."



Epocrates said that its iPhone medical program is currently in use by more than one in five physicians. The software has more than 275,000 physician subscribers using its software, which is available for iPhone, BlackBerry and Palm. More than 900,000 clinicians worldwide use Epocrates.



The company's software was featured by Apple at its iPhone Software Roadmap event in 2008. The Epocrates medical reference application was the first available on the App Store.







The study follows news earlier this week that some hospitals are looking at potential applications for the iPad. One San Francisco program, dubbed "Destination Bedside," aims to use tablets to provide X-rays, charts, prescriptions and notes to hospital workers at the touch of a finger.



The success of Apple's iPad in the medical field will likely depend on the creation of third-party applications for the device like Epocrates. In addition to a number of bundled applications, the iPad will have access to Apple's App Store, which now offers more than 140,000 different options.



The iPad has a starting price of $499 and is scheduled to ship by the end of March. The 3G-enabled version, which carries a $130 premium, should arrive a month later.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 184
    zandroszandros Posts: 537member
    Let me be the first to say:
  • Reply 2 of 184
    I'd be interested in it too....I use Epocrates every day at work....but wish it could be more responsive (sometimes when the iPhone is busying doing other things - ie retrieving mail etc., it the other apps slow down). I'm sure new medical apps will follow.



    I am a little concerned that this expensive device will get damaged with so much daily use around the hospital/clinics etc...much easier to slip the iphone in my pocket when I'm walking out of the room, than forgetting it in the room (and risk it getting stolen).
  • Reply 3 of 184
    rnp1rnp1 Posts: 175member
    [QUOTE=AppleInsider;1566945]More than 60 percent of physicians who participated in a new survey have shown interest in Apple's recently announced iPad.



    THANK GOD!!!
  • Reply 4 of 184
    ...



    There are maybe 800,000 doctors in the US. And you want me to believe a study that sampled 350 of them? And it's not even the SLIGHTEST bit random either. There's probably a strong bias to contact people who already OWN an iPhone and USE epocrates. And the only worthwhile version of Epocrates costs $150/year to use!



    I think you can easily see the confounding variables here. I have no doubt that doctors are certainly excited to see what the iPad could do for medicine (I'm a medical student, so I'd know), but to put out such silly numbers mocks the intelligence of anyone who can read.



    To put this into perspective, the #1 use of tablet PCs is for medical use (signatures and such). But to even make the claim that 20% of US doctors want an iPad makes me want to barf.
  • Reply 5 of 184
    cory bauercory bauer Posts: 1,286member
    Four out of five physicians don't recommend the iPad for daily use.
  • Reply 6 of 184
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by dagamer34 View Post


    But to even make the claim that 20% of US doctors want an iPad makes me want to barf.



    Except that it doesn't say that. The survey was among healthcare professionals, not just doctors.
  • Reply 7 of 184
    postulantpostulant Posts: 1,272member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Sojourner View Post


    I'd be interested in it too....I use Epocrates every day at work....but wish it could be more responsive (sometimes when the iPhone is busying doing other things - ie retrieving mail etc., it the other apps slow down). I'm sure new medical apps will follow.



    I am a little concerned that this expensive device will get damaged with so much daily use around the hospital/clinics etc...much easier to slip the iphone in my pocket when I'm walking out of the room, than forgetting it in the room (and risk it getting stolen).



    Epocrates is awesome. I use it for nearly all of my dosage calculations.
  • Reply 8 of 184
    clemynxclemynx Posts: 1,552member
    Just by reading the title I thought this was going to be stupid.
  • Reply 9 of 184
    Revised Edit
  • Reply 10 of 184
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Dr Millmoss View Post


    Except that it doesn't say that. The survey was among healthcare professionals, not just doctors.



    Really? Here's the title of the article:

    "One in five physicians likely to purchase Apple iPad - study"



    And here is the first sentence:

    "More than 60 percent of physicians who participated in a new survey have shown interest in Apple's recently announced iPad, and one in five already intend to purchase one."



    And here is another statement later in the article:

    "Epocrates said that its medical program is currently in use by more than one in five physicians."



    Seems to me the article is pretty clear that it is talking about doctors.
  • Reply 11 of 184
    backtomacbacktomac Posts: 4,579member
    I use Eppocrates almost daily as well. Like the the other poster I often find it to be sluggish in use. This is on a 3gs.



    I think that the iPad could be awesome for medical applications but Eppocrates isn't it. E-crates is useful but not killer. I'm anxious to see what other developers can do.
  • Reply 12 of 184
    lilgto64lilgto64 Posts: 1,147member
    on of my wife's doctors uses epocrates - on an iPhone - except that when I saw him use it (in late 2008) - the iPhone version did not have prices and he had to pull out a treo (I think it was a treo - might have been a blackberry) to get the pricing. not sure if that was because it had only just come out or he had not updated his subscription or whatever.



    the medical imaging type apps would certainly benefit from larger screen space.



    For HIPPA and other regulatory compliance I suspect they would have to be able to connect to some backend server where the info is kept or at least support the password lock and remote wipe functions of the iPhone - so that if a device is lost no one's privacy is compromised.
  • Reply 13 of 184
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Abster2core View Post


    Sorry, but it is not quite clear but it could have been conducted on 'clinicians'.



    It would appear that in the beginning of the article that Epocrates has over 900,000 healthcare professionals using their software and out of that number one-fifth of them, i.e., 275,00 are physicians.



    However, later in the article, it does state that, "More than 900,000 clinicians worldwide use Epocrates."



    Unfortunately, we don't have the exact protocol used in the study. In any event, the results are quite impressive.



    The terminology used is vague, but I take it that the survey was conducted by the developer to determine the interest level in the iPad version of their software, not to manufacture unrealistic expectations.
  • Reply 14 of 184
    elmsleyelmsley Posts: 120member
    Anyone in the medicare profession know there are different roles and different uses for software. epocrates has a drug reference, and would not be any more amazing on an iPad (than an iPhone) used primarily by pharmacists and physicians. iPads that are used for medical imaging, and education would really make the most use of the device.
  • Reply 15 of 184
    chris_cachris_ca Posts: 2,543member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by aep528 View Post


    Seems to me the article is pretty clear that it is talking about doctors.



    Only if you consider a "clinician" is always a doctor.



    "a new study of more than 350 clinicians "
  • Reply 16 of 184
    toyintoyin Posts: 58member
    Count me as one physician who will get the iPad the day it comes out. However I don't plan on using it at work. This may replace my Kindle and allow me to use the laptop less at home.



    Epocrates, how I loved thee. I used to use it all the time. Now with electronic medical record most the dosing and information is on the computer.



    For those who complain of Epocrates, try Medscape's iPhone application.

    1. It's free

    2. Launches almost instantly

    3. It's faster then Epocrates

    4. Has drug interactions

    5. Also has CME and Physician Directory
  • Reply 17 of 184
    msanttimsantti Posts: 1,377member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by dagamer34 View Post


    ...



    There are maybe 800,000 doctors in the US. And you want me to believe a study that sampled 350 of them? And it's not even the SLIGHTEST bit random either. There's probably a strong bias to contact people who already OWN an iPhone and USE epocrates. And the only worthwhile version of Epocrates costs $150/year to use!



    I think you can easily see the confounding variables here. I have no doubt that doctors are certainly excited to see what the iPad could do for medicine (I'm a medical student, so I'd know), but to put out such silly numbers mocks the intelligence of anyone who can read.



    To put this into perspective, the #1 use of tablet PCs is for medical use (signatures and such). But to even make the claim that 20% of US doctors want an iPad makes me want to barf.



    $150.00/year is some pretty serious change for a doctor. Hell, its the entire cost a single patient visit!
  • Reply 18 of 184
    mactrippermactripper Posts: 1,328member
    All these great Apps are wonderful, but they need a corresponding software on a Windows or Mac to process data or move it to other applications that rely upon more hardware capabilities that only a computer provides.



    So eventually, despite how hard Apple tries to lock down the iPad, it's going to have to realize that software needs to be able to access all devices and be uniform.



    So there should be no reason why Apps can't be run on Windows or OS X so everything is compatible with what's on iPads, iPhones and iPod Touches, Apple will have to come around to that conclusion eventually.



    The sooner the better IMMO.
  • Reply 19 of 184
    ds98ds98 Posts: 3member
    Apple better get on that advertising campaign. If Trident can get 4 out of 5 dentist you would think Apple could get more than 1 out of 5 physicians
  • Reply 20 of 184
    paxmanpaxman Posts: 4,729member
    So to all the nay sayers I gotta give it to you - this thing is not for power users, not for professionals, not for business. Its a toy, nothing but an enlarged iPod Touch. A silly device for technically challenged incompetents. Yup, you're right. This thing will tank.
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