Stanford to Give Incoming Medical Students Handheld Computers

Incoming medical students at Stanford University School of Medicine will be given handheld patient-management tools on the first day of their clinical training, ihealthcareweekly.com reports. The device, dubbed PatientKeeper Personal, will allow students to record clinical notes and other patient data, conduct research on patients' diagnoses and correspond with instructors and fellow students. In addition, the device enables instructors to better monitor and assess students' training, identifying any gaps that may exist. According to a Stanford dean, handheld computers have become an "indispensable" tool for the efficient and accurate management of clinical data. Officials hope that introducing students to these devices at the beginning of medical training will ensure a graduating class of new physicians who will "demand the same technology in their future practice settings." Device developer PatientKeeper Inc. says it has given Stanford a site license for its tool; the company's director says the agreement is mutually beneficial, as PatientKeeper will "gain real-world" feedback on its applications and technology (ihealthcareweekly.com, 4/5).