Healthcare has truly embraced Palm devices with open arms. Conservative estimates state that 20% of all physicians use a handheld device. However, medical association surveys and informal surveys within medical schools and academic institutions are more indicative of the enormous popularity of Palm device usage. Up to 35% of all medical students and residents use Palm devices. Some teaching hospitals and medical schools now provide Palm devices to all students and residents, and one medical association states over 50% of their membership uses Palm devices.

While some might argue that the Palm computer is simply used by healthcare professionals as a personal device, I can assure you that this is not true. I just returned from the HIMSS (Health Information Management Systems Society) Annual Meeting in New Orleans, and the abundance of Palm solutions that integrate into existing backend and legacy systems is staggering. I've also had the opportunity to speak on handheld and wireless computing solutions in healthcare at several major medical association meetings across the country. From these meetings, I've gained further insight into the types of challenges other healthcare professionals are solving with their Palm OS devices.

Solutions for the major healthcare segments
Palm solutions exist for everyone in the following major healthcare segments:

• Physicians;
• Medical students, residents, fellows;
• Allied health, nursing;
• Payors;
• Distributors;
• Pharmaceuticals;
• Consumers.

Healthcare specific solutions
I'm going to cover some key solutions in some basic areas of the healthcare delivery process. One of the best things about the Palm platform is the spectrum of solutions available. While you can find solutions that are completely turnkey, and even wireless, there's a wealth of solutions that simply help you with your existing workflow by helping to manage information more effectively and generate paper more efficiently.