Apple Deploying iPad to Patients Setup Guide
Deploying iPad to Patients
Setup Guide
Overview
Healthcare institutions are increasingly focused on engaging patients to
become actively engaged in their health and delivering a great experience
throughout their stay in the hospital. Deploying iPad with patient-centered apps
enables hospitals to enhance each step of the patient journey, from check-in
through discharge. With third-party iPadOS apps, hospitals can empower
patients to access their daily schedule, connect with theircare team, track
their progress, get educated on their treatment plan, andpersonalize their
entertainment—putting patients in the center of care.
This Setup Guide offers guidance to the hospital IT staff who are configuring
and deploying iPad for patients to use. iPad can be preconfigured with minimal
setup so patients have access to iPadOS apps, and IT can use mobile device
management (MDM) to protect patient data while also preserving a great user
experience. Once a patient has been discharged, the iPad can be securely
wiped so all patient-generated data is removed, and reset to factory settings
so it’s ready for the next patient to use.
A key decision when deploying iPad to patients is to choose between in-room
versus centralized storage of the device (described in the In-Room Storage and
Centralized Storage sections). In-room storage is enabled by over-the-air (OTA)
wiping and resetting of iPad, which allows devices to stay in the patient room
at all times. Many hospitals prefer this deployment because it minimizes the
work required from nurses or other staff members. At the same time, there
may be compelling reasons for centralized storage deployment, such as when
there are fewer iPad devices than rooms or when there are readily available
staff or volunteers who can help keep track of devices as patients are admitted
or discharged.
Regardless of which deployment scenario you choose, the preparation steps
described in this paper are important for any successful deployment.
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Contents
Overview
Getting Prepared
Evaluate your infrastructure
Create a configuration
Automate device setup
In-Room Storage
Perform initial setup
Reset your device
Centralized Storage
Set up Apple Configurator
Automate device refresh
Install Apple Remote Desktop
Summary
Getting Prepared
This section outlines three steps to follow when preparing to deploy devices
and apps in the hospital.
Evaluate your infrastructure
The first step is to evaluate your network infrastructure. The physical layout
of the hospital and how people interact within the physical space is critical to
how you design your network and plan for Wi-Fi coverage and capacity.
Wi-Fi and networking
Consistent and dependable access to a wireless network is key to setting up
and configuring iPad devices. Confirm that your hospital’s Wi-Fi network can
support multiple devices with simultaneous connections from all your users.
You might also need to configure your web proxy or firewall ports if devices are
unable to access Apple’s activation servers. Apple and Cisco are optimizing
the network experience for devices using iOS 10 or later or iPadOS. Talk to
your Apple or Cisco representative to get the latest information about these
networking features.
Content caching
An integrated feature of macOS, content caching stores a local copy of frequently
requested content from Apple servers, helping minimize the amount of bandwidth
needed to download content on your network. Content caching speeds up the
download and delivery of software through the AppStore and MacApp Store.
It can also cache software updates for faster downloading to multiple iPadOS
devices. Content caching includes the tethered caching service, which allows a
Mac to share its internet connection with many iPad devices connected by USB.
Invest in an MDM solution
MDM gives organizations the ability to securely enroll iPadOS devices in the
hospital environment, wirelessly configure and update settings, establish
policies, deploy and manage apps, and remotely wipe or lock managed devices.
These features are built into iPadOS and are enabled by third-party MDM
solutions. MDM solutions are available from a wide range of vendors and can
be cloud hosted or installed on premise. MDM solutions come with different
features and pricing, so you have flexibility in deciding which solution best fits
your needs. Some MDM solution providers also offer predefined settings that
make it even easier to configure devices for patient use.
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Create a configuration
Once you’ve selected an MDM solution, you’ll need to create a configuration
that’s specifically optimized for the patient use case and that your MDM
solution can install over the air. A configuration will typically contain settings
and restrictions that set up the device in a posture that’s appropriate for patient
use. These settings will help streamline the initial patient experience and
disable features or services that might store personal data or be unnecessary.
Restrictions
The following are examples of restrictions you’re likely to enable so that no
personal information is left on the device. Note: Descriptions may vary by
MDM solution.
Device management: Disallow manual profile installation, disallow configuring
of restrictions, disallow device name changing, disallow account modification,
force Limit Ad Tracking, and disallow pairing with non-Configurator hosts.
Data management: Disallow documents from managed sources in unmanaged
destinations, disallow documents from unmanaged sources in managed
destinations, and enforce AirDrop as an unmanaged destination.
Apps: Disallow the App Store icon on the Home screen, disallow app removal,
disallow in-app purchase, disallow user to trust unmanaged enterprise apps,
and hide specific apps on the Home screen.
Media: Disallow use of Game Center, skip Apple ID password for media
purchases, and restrict media content as needed.
Home screen layout, Lost Mode, and other settings
You can manage how apps, folders, and web clips are arranged on the Home
screen of supervised devices. Enable use of the camera so hospital staff can
scan a patient’s QR code using a secure patient app or add the patient’s photo
to an electronic medical record (EMR) app. To track missing iPad devices, make
sure your MDM supports the features related to Lost Mode, such as a lost
message text, query location of device, and reenable Lost Mode after a reset
or restore. Note that Lost Mode will allow an administrator to query the location
of a lost device even if the user has disabled location services.
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