Drew Cutter wrote: > I see more medical software for handhelds than I do the pc. Why ? less > lawsuits ? More benefits as to a doctor time ? or is software for pc a > deadend for the software developers of medical software ? too many > failures of past software projects ? > In general the spread of Palm devices has followed, albeit at a much accelerated pace, the spread of PC's. The primary attributes in both cases have been: It solves a local problem you have in a way that you can manage the solution yourself It can be purchased off discretionary funds. It's a 'personal' device in the central IT does not support it. > As in the case of the PC, once the solution reaches a certain critical mass of deployment, it becomes a candidate for 'official' IT support, which means mainly that it get's regulated. At that point, other properties start becoming important and those properties can change the nature of the business, just as the landscape of PC vendors underwent dramatic shifts:
- centralized managment of software/hardware - site licensing of software - ability to integrate into corporate IT standards (network, security, etc.) This has already started in the health care field as we find the PocketPC (ala Compaq iPaq) the preferred solution for integration with campus wireless networks, microsoft office applications, linux deployment on PDA, voice dictation applications, etc. etc.... > Is the palmpilot software subject to FDA regulations ? > In the same way that any software is subject to FDA regulations. So, if to accomplish task A on a PC or mainframe computer, you need FDA approved software, to accomplish that same task on a PDA you will also need FDA approval.
