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The iPad has been popular with health care providers. This is not too surprising, as doctors, nurses and other practitioners have been using the iPad's older sibling, the iPhone, for several years, for everything from voice recording to clinical data entry. Many argue that the iPad's larger screen sets the stage for even more clinical uses.

The iPad has pros and cons associated with its use in health care. Several characteristics explain the rapid pace of iPad adoption among health care providers:

• The iPad is roughly the same size as patient charts.
• It has a large screen that can be used to share information with patients.
• The price makes it affordable for physicians.
• It can run all the medical apps available on the iPhone.
• It can be used to enter data into EHR and computerized physician order entry (CPOE) systems.

On the other hand, problems associated with iPad use in health care include the following:
• It might not be durable enough, and is difficult to disinfect.
• It does not support USB devices or printers.
• It has no camera.
• Its free-form factor could give rise to ergonomic issues and security breaches -- though these issues could arise with the use of any tablet device.