PANDA will allow you to sign consent forms and medical health history updates directly on the screen. This works best when using a standard touchscreen monitor with a stylus (you can also currently do it with your mouse if you don’t have a touchscreen). Since PANDA is not particular about any brand or make, you can capture signatures electronically with almost any hardware. The touchscreen just replaces the mouse, so in PANDA there is no special formatting – it is really fairly generic. Keep in mind that some hardware products have their own requirements, so check with the hardware vendor prior to making a decision. A good way to know if PANDA will work with the hardware you’re considering is by asking the hardware company to demonstrate how you can sign a word document with the signature hardware. Since PANDA exports all letters and documents into Adobe^® PDF, Microsoft Word^®, OpenOffice^®, and generic text formats, the compatibility relies on the hardware working with those software products. PANDA does not guarantee that third-party hardware products work “within” PANDA. We have found that there are several varying degrees of expectation in how a signature is captured from practice to practice, so the only way to be sure you are satisfied with the process is to do a test run prior to purchasing the hardware. 

1. What do you own now? Can you make use of that before going to another expense? PANDA Perio works very well on most laptops, so if you have one already you may want to try this out on your existing laptop first. It doesn’t cost extra to load PANDA on to extra computers within your practice so you can load it on to as many computers as you need. Find out more about PANDA Perio's system requirements.
2. What if I don’t have a touchscreen computer but I want to be able to have patients sign forms in PANDA?
   • Electronic signature pads: Topaz is a popular electronic signature product used in dental offices today. Be sure to download the Microsoft Office or Adobe plug-in: Note: Topaz requires a full license of Microsoft Word in order to use the Word plugin. If using the Adobe PDF plugin, you need to have the full license of Adobe Acrobat in order for the document to be able to be signed. Please note, the Topaz plugin will not work on a free, non-Adobe PDF creator/reader version. Also check with your local state representatives to find out what the legal requirements are in your area regarding capturing electronic signatures.
   • Touchscreen alternative: a "Wireless Optical Pen Mouse" This is a very inexpensive solution and replaces a regular mouse with a simulated pen. These products do not draw very accurately; however, they do work and a signature can be captured using them. They are designed to replace a mouse, not a stylus, and essentially you can sign very similarly just by using a regular, standard mouse.
• Who is going to be handling the tablet – staff, patients or both? Where will it sit and how likely is it to get dropped? This can change things such as the way you set up the mount, the location of the computer, or your decision about the quality/cost of the tablet you choose.