  The issue being discussed in this week's blog is the new breakthroughs in handheld technology. PDAs are quickly becoming a healthcare worker's best friend. When handheld devices are linked with the central computer of a facility using wireless technology they can transmit information between the two at incredible speeds. This can be very useful in two main areas: patients' electronic medical records and disease information. The technology has finally advanced enough to allow preloaded paperwork to be filled out through the handheld device.
This means that nurses will no longer have to write anything out when caring for the patient. All of the information will be transferred automatically to the main database and added to the patient's record immediately. These updated records will be useful in case of an emergency where another physician may need past injury or current medication information. A simple request and the file could be encrypted and sent to the physician. This could potentially save lives. The second use for handhelds could be the identification of rare conditions or providing detailed information about medical issues to the patient.
Through the use of online databases such as Harvard College's, a facility can have access to almost the entire western knowledge about medicine. If a patient is exhibiting strange symptoms, a simple query can help to isolate possible causes. This could also help to eliminate excess diagnostics or procedures and help to lower misdiagnoses. This technology is not affordable for every facility however. This can be a problem if two facilities wish to exchange information.
Another issue that needs to be addressed is the privacy issues concerned with the transmitting electronic medical records between networks. I believe that the technology is ready and available and should be used. Hopefully, in the near future, more facilities will see the need for improving their infrastructures and the community should benefit. The potential is too great to ignore. 
