The U.S. military is testing commercial mobile devices for usability with its electronic health record applications, Government Health IT reports.
Lt. Col. William Geesey — product manager at the Army’s Medical Communications for Combat Casualty Care organization — said officials are testing tactical EHR applications on the:
iPad;
iPod Touch;
iPhone;
Sprint HTC EVO; and
Samsung Epic.
According to Geesey, early results indicate that versions of the Army’s EHR technology work on the Apple and Droid operating systems.
However, he said testing still has a long way to go. Geesey noted that the devices “must clear a myriad of hurdles, including data-at-rest encryption requirements, clearance for wireless use in theater, and a bevy of [Department of Defense] and local signal certifications.”
The testing is part of telehealth and EHR projects under way at bases in Afghanistan and Iraq (Buxbaum, Government Health IT, 12/10).
