Browsing through e-Readers at the mall the other day, it occurred to me that nearly all of a physicians healthcare IT, especially primary care, involve charts, numbers and a massive amount of text notes. If done right, physicians can get by without color for room to room patient encounters. I should preface by saying I am not advocating replacing a color laptop or desktop computer but, like the iPad, augmenting workflow with an e-Reader. If we examine physician workflow, some benefits for e-Readers arise:

• Cost– At $140 for the Kindle 3, we may be seeing a race to sub-$100 comparable e-Readers from others soon. An e-Reader per exam room or for every staff member would help to share data better. Developing countries should consider the price efficiency of these low cost devices.
• Battery– battery life far extends other devices. Recharging once a week is a bonus in a busy practice.
• Fax Viewing– The majority of lab data, such as blood tests and urine analysis are returned via facsimile which does not require color.
• Simplicity– Unlike the thousands of iPad apps to jump in and out of, the e-Reader has been known to be a single focus device.  A less distracted clinic, with everyone focusing on the EMR, is a more productive office. A clinic is no place for Farmville.
• Less Eye Strain– Physicians starring at LCD panels for hours may find the high contrast e-Reader more pleasing to the eye for extended periods of reading patient notes and reviewing dictation letters.

So when is color really needed for a physician? When physicians have time to sit down and interpret or consult on results such as digital x-rays or similar imaging scans such as video stills for example. But that can be done outside the exam room. There are however some advantages to using a color screen:

• Patient Interaction– Color visualization of anatomy and surgical routines can enhance a patient's understanding of a procedure or condition.
• Speed– e-Readers are not known for fast screen redraw. If a patient chart requires multiple pages of information to be scrubbed through outside of summary notes, a full purpose tablet might fit the role better.
• Options– As of today, medical apps on the iPad far exceed those of the e-Readers. Come to think of it, there are no medical applications for e-readers, unless you consider medical text books for reference. But this post is an attempt to consider future endeavors.

The Kindle, or any other e-Reader, has a long way to go before it can enter a medical production environment. The real question isn't about black & white versus color. It's about understanding how a physician can be more productive in the business of healing, and at what cost. New competition in the tablet market is welcome. Amazon's Kindle SDK Program could foster a new type of healthcare app: very simple, clean, no frills interface.