Hospital calculates return on iPad investment at nine days

If you've been around the medical profession, you have probably seen an explosion of iPads. Doctors I've talked to say they are easy to carry around, and the iPad mini in particular seems a great fit for pockets. Meanwhile, companies that write software for medical uses are quickly creating apps that are iPad-friendly.

Meanwhile, Forbes writer Dan Munro has an interesting piece telling the story of a hospital that deployed iPads and saw a return on investment in nine days. The numbers were based on time and motion studies and how clinical workflow impacted labor costs. That pretty much makes an iPad a no-brainer. With healthcare costs soaring and hospitals looking to cut costs, the iPad is making a difference. To have case-management information or drug-interaction data within a few inches of a medical professional moving around a facility is a quiet revolution. The Forbes article isn't specific about the hospital or the uses the iPads were put to, but a lot of iPads are in use in the medical field.

The hospital in question is rolling out more iPads, anxious to see more savings. Apple itself has featured medical facilities and companies using iPads and the business case can be compelling.

Apple was lucky to see this trend early and take advantage of it. Meanwhile, Microsoft is struggling with tablets that have been slow to catch on.

Data source: via TUAW (By Mel Martin)