Tablet-based patient monitoring and decision support systems in hospital care

Remote patient monitoring with evidence-based decision support is revolutionizing healthcare. This novel approach could enable both patients and healthcare providers to improve quality of care and reduce costs. Clinicians can also view patients' data within the hospital network on tablet computers as well as other ubiquitous devices. Today, a wide range of applications are available on tablet computers which are increasingly integrating into the healthcare mainstream as clinical decision support systems. Despite the benefits of tablet-based healthcare applications, there are concerns around the accuracy, security and stability of such applications. In this study, we developed five tablet-based application screens for remote patient monitoring at hospital care settings and identified related issues and challenges. The ultimate aim of this research is to integrate decision support algorithms into the monitoring system in order to improve inpatient care and the effectiveness of such applications.