Veterans Affairs CIO Says iPads Need To Be Secured For Medical Use
In a nod to the reality of rapid physician adoption of tablets and smartphones, the CIO of the VA system recently stated that the VA must find a way to accommodate iPads at a conference on federal information technology.
According to Baker, the fact is that 100,000 residents rotate through the VA each year and “they’re all carrying mobile devices”. In order for them to do their jobs, they want to be able to access resources on the internet.
In an article published at nextgov.com, CIO Roger Baker said:
I’ve told my folks I don’t want to say ‘no’ to those devices anymore…I want to know how I say yes.
The key, according to Baker, is security. While the iPad can be secured, proper protocols need to be developed. Otherwise, the device can be likened to a “huge unencrypted USB stick with no pin”. In order to facilitate development of security protocols, a pilot program has been launched giving out iPads to select employees in situations where security is looser. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at iMedicalApps*
