Control Tablet TCO
Total cost of ownership (TCO) has become one of the major
concerns for healthcare ITDMs (healthcare IT decision makers) who have adopted
tablets as an IT solution in healthcare. It is the time ITDMs should gain
insight and address all challenges that are facing large scale deployment of
tablets (more than 250 tablets). By doing this, they will help private and
public organizations realize the full productivity of a computed tablet.
According to an online survey of more than 200 healthcare
ITDMs conducted by Dell, the cost of one tablet is approximately $499. However,
the total cost of securing, connecting and managing a tablet totals to about
$2230. This means that securing, managing and connecting a tablet cost about
4.5 times its total purchase price.
What Healthcare ITDMs
Say about Tablet Cost, functionality, security and Usage
Here is what healthcare ITDMs say about tablets:
Tablet Usage
statistics
According to a survey conducted for 200 ITDMs, here is the
tablet usage statistics:
- 51 percent respondents use tablets
- 82 percent healthcare ITDMs said that clinicians are the ones who use tablets more than anyone else in healthcare industry
- 35 percent of people are evaluating tablets to get the best product
- 56 percent ITDMS said that TCO can be minimized by using tablets that are integrated with the current infrastructure.
- 65 percent of the respondents say that they purchased a tablet app to act as a mirror for that app in their laptop or desktop.
- 30 percent people use tablets to access medical information
- 66 percent said that tablets are used mainly in accessing and updating patient information
Tablet cost
According to healthcare ITDMs, the total cost of a single
tablet is approximately $499 while the cost of connecting, securing and
maintaining it is about 4.5 times that of its purchase price. They say the high
cost of management comes from:
- Policy development
- 1:1 provisioning
- Management and licensing provisioning
- Adapting tablets for those with special needs
- Domain access configuration and
- Password setting or resetting
Tablet Functionality
Healthcare says that there are some hospitals or clinical
applications which cannot be accessed by tablets while others can only have
limited functionality.
- 44 percent of hospital apps cannot be accessed through a tablet
- 41 percent of hospital apps can be accessed with a tablet but with limited functionality
Tablet Security
Here is what healthcare ITDMS says about tablet security:
- 42 percent of respondents said that it takes 10 to 30 minutes to secure a tablet at TPM level
- 66 percent of respondents said that unsecured tablet devices are at high risk
- 29% of respondents said that they don’t know the annual cost of securing a tablet at TPM level
TCO Certified Tablets
TCO certified tablets manufacturers focus on the tablet’s
life cycle such as sustainability and use or end of life product phases. The
specific criteria focus on:
Manufacturing phase
This focuses on:
- Environmental management system- This shows that the manufacturing company works best to improve environment performance of the company and its products. The company should have EMAS or ISO 14001 certification
- Social responsible manufacturing- this ensures that all the tablets follow:
o
ILO core conventions
o
Laws for labor rights
o
Rights of health and safety
Shorter life-cycles of current
products have led to a push of technology companies to deliver new products at
a low cost.
- Sustainability- It is important to use plastics that can be readily available and can be recycled. Recycled plastics are the best as they lower environmental impact in the following ways:
o
Lower up to 80% energy during their manufacture
o
Fewer raw materials are required
o
Reduce carbon dioxide effects
Use Phase
This focuses on factors such as:
- Climate- The tablet should have an external power supply. This is important since it can help avoid greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide. Energy efficiency is important as it
- Ergonomics- Ergonomic factors to be considered in a tablet include contrast, resolution, and luminance and color performance. Tablets should be ergonomically designed to make sure the user is comfortable. These features make sure the user escapes strain problems such as eye pain, neck and back pain. Perfect ergonomics such as full HD feature help influence productivity as well as extended life of the product.
- Health/safety- The tablet should have acoustic noise protection, limits on halogenated emissions and electrical safety. Any tablet should not be a source of health risks such as chemical emissions such as those causing allergic reactions.
- Product lifetime- The tablet should have at least a 1 year warranty. There should also be availability of for at least 3 years since the product was manufactured. Extension of tablet lifetime can help avoid growing waste stream that is hazardous and expensive to treat. Longtime products are environmental friendly.
- Sustainable information-This helps to calculate the impact of the tablet on the environment based on its energy consumption.
Tips for choosing a
perfect tablet for healthcare
When choosing a perfect tablet, here are things you should
look for:
- Choose a tablet with low Total Cost of ownership (TCO)
- Choose a tablet that can easily integrate with your infrastructure
- Choose a tablet that has form, usability, and functions that can meet clinicians demands
- Choose a tablet with simple security, support and management
The Bottom Line
Establishment of digitalized products in healthcare such as
record keeping gadgets and cloud based apps would seem good until the move to a
medical cloud was blocked by patients’ privacy and security concerns. Use of
tablets by consumers and healthcare practitioners has increased in the last few
years, though there are also concerns on the cost of managing the gadgets. The cost of managing tablets has been
estimated to be 4.5 times the purchase price,raising many concerns among
healthcare ITDMs. This cost is high due tablet licensing, input of security
features, policy developing, and provisioning. Total cost
of ownership can currently be reduced by using a tablet that integrates with
the existing infrastructure.
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