The news that Steve Jobs will step down as CEO of Apple has prompted many in the medical community to give a farewell salute to the innovator whose products have transformed the way doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers deliver care to patients. Since submitting his resignation letter to Apple's board of directors on August 24, tributes have poured in to InformationWeek Healthcare from hospital CIOs, doctors, and medical organizations. The tributes point out that the mobile devices Jobs created, including the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch--as well as the health applications developed specifically for these devices--have enabled doctors, nurses, and patients to enter, access, and share clinical data. Similarly the medical images that can be viewed on these devices have raised the level of care and improved the way they perform their tasks on a daily basis. ?What Steve has done is enabled our imagination,? John Halamka, MD, CIO, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center told InformaitonWeek Healthcare. ?CIOs and doctors are now envisioning solutions that would not have been possible without Steve's innovations.?
