The launch of the iPad mini has been eagerly awaited by physicians who are excited about one particular aspect of the device: It fits easily inside a lab coat.
Epocrates, a maker of point-of-care applications for medical professionals, gathered data from 48 different physicians that use its products. One in three of those physicians said they are planning to purchase an iPad mini due to its convenient small size.
Just 7.87 inches high and 5.3 inches wide, the iPad passes what Epocrates calls the “lab coat test.” Lab coats worn by medical professionals have pockets sized 8.5 inches high, and 7.5 inches wide, which allow the device to be easily carried by a physician.
90 percent of physicians surveyed said they believe that the iPad mini will make it easier for them to carry the device around with them between exam rooms and on hospital rounds.
The company says that compared to the general population, physicians are early adopters of Apple products. Going on to say that the large majority of physicians own an iPhone, and currently the iPad dominates the healthcare tablet market.
The medical community quickly embraced the iPad when it first hit the market. The School of Medicine at Stanford University began equipping students with iPads only months after the device hit the market in 2010.
A survey earlier this year found that more than a quarter of European doctors use an iPad at work, while another 40 percent said they planned to purchase an iPad within six months.
