e when they have access to patient information remotely, at patient bedsides or near patient rooms. This enables them to input data such as current status on vital signs directly into a computer. Previously, doctors and nurses wrote this data on paper and then had someone else input the data at a centralized station. The new wireless applications will save time and provide important tools to doctors because they will be able to write prescriptions at the patient's bedside. The applications will additionally provide realtime information on drug interac- tions with drugs patients are already taking. Staff members will also be able to research unusual disorders directly when they are with patients. By providing tools for medical personnel that they can use on a mobile basis, the hospital will improve staff productivity and decrease the chance of transcription errors. The IT staff is planning to implement a broad program that utilizes iPad tablet computers and new workstations to enable nurses and doctors to be closer to patients and save time on accessing and inputting patient information. The fol- lowing are key initiatives. Provide iPads to doctors for use during their rounds. The doctors will have access to patient information such as laboratory results and the abil- ity to update information on patient conditions as needed during rounds. The hospital is considering providing smartphones to nurses and doc- tors SO that they can communicate directly with one another. Changes in the floor layouts will bring access to computers nearer to medical staffs on patient floors SO that they remain closer to patients. Rather than the current hub-and-spoke design in which the nurses' sta- tion and computers are centralized, one computer workstation will be located between every two patient rooms. The workstation will be for short-term tasks such as entering patient data including blood pressure and heart rate. It will be located in a recessed nook where nurses will stand to input patient information. In addition, there will b