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Army field medics soon could be using touch-technology tablet computers for everything from accessing patient records to recording vital signs and documenting care in combat zones.

The handheld devices that Army medics have used for four years can't fully support the Pentagon's electronic medical record system, Federal Times reports. In addition, iPads, iPhones and Android-based devices don't have keypads that can be damaged by sand. Tablets also are able to run "more robust" versions of soldiers' inpatient and outpatient medical records, including medication history, the newspaper says.

The Army plans to have tablets approved for use by December, having successfully run military EMR applications on Apple and Android operating systems in tests last year, according to the article. Federal Times says the tablets will provide advantages including:

• A larger screen allowing medics to zoom in on information using the tap-and-stretch feature.
• Access to basic laboratory, radiology and pharmacy applications.
• The ability to scan a patient's Common Access Card to record patient information.

Medics will still have laptops for downloading field treatment information into patients' permanent records, according to the report, but those are too heavy and bulky to carry onto the battlefield.