10-06-2014, 12:36 PM
The application of touchscreen technology
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Touchscreen technology has been around since the early 1970’s. In fact Doctor Sam Hurst is credited with the first “touch sensor” back in 1971 while at the University of Kentucky. Touchscreens have been used in many different devices over the years including ATM machines, cash registers in grocery stores, diagnostic tools in automobile repair shops, and of course in computers. Even with their widespread use it wasn’t until recently that touchscreens caught on as a viable user interface for everyday use. The development of smartphones and consumer tablets like the iPad, Motorola XOOM, Samsung Galaxy tablet among others have driven touchscreens into the mainstream. But does that translate into touchscreens being useful in healthcare? In my mind it does.
The growth of touchscreen use in the consumer market is driving their use in healthcare in much the same way. Familiarity is creating acceptance. This is especially true in healthcare systems where touchscreen technology is being used in lobbies to provide patients with easy access to information, in radiology where physicians use it to manipulate images, by nurses to adjust settings on ventilators and other medical devices, and of course by physicians using tablets to view electronic health records and patient specific information.
There are several advantages to using touchscreen technology.
Improved experience ¨C Touchscreens provide end users an opportunity to interact with the computer, improving the human-computer interface and improving the user’s experience. This may seem like a small thing to many, but this simple idea is one of the reasons that the iPad from Apple has been so successful with users. The device provides a pleasurable experience for the end user secondary to the intuitive touchscreen interface.
Easy access ¨C Touchscreens provide an easy to understand, intuitive interface for the human brain. Touch is a natural way for us to interact with the world around us and pointing at something with our finger is as natural as breathing air.
Saves time ¨C Fumbling with a mouse and keyboard isn’t always the easiest thing to do and touchscreen technology can help. I sometimes use my finger to navigate the touchscreen on my laptop instead of a mouse. I find that using my finger often works better than a mouse to reposition my cursor, access an open application or scroll through a web page. It’s not a big thing, but it improves my experience and makes things easier to access.
Sanitary ¨C Often overlook, but never out of the mind of healthcare providers, is the unsanitary conditions created by a mouse and a keyboard. They’re a great place to harbor germs collected on the hands of everyone that’s touches them. Washing one’s hands before and after using them is a successful strategy for fighting the spread of germs, but this simple solution isn’t always utilized to its logical end. On the other hand, touchscreens can be easily cleaned as part of a routine schedule.
Potential to save money ¨C Full touchscreen technology requires no keyboard or mouse, which both cost money and have to be replaced. Of course this only makes sense if the touchscreen technology does not exceed the cost of a typical monitor. We’re not there yet, but we’re headed in the right direction.
With that said, not all touchscreens are created equal. Let’s have a quick look at the different types of touchscreens in use today.