Mobile Computers in Medicine

Mobile Phones for STD testing

2010-11-25T09:55:00.001-05:00

A new effort to decrease STD infections in England is developing mobile phone technology for home testing to diagnose STD's.

The latest in mobile healthcare applications

2010-09-05T21:37:00.001-04:00

Many hospitals are leveraging mobile IT applications to improve physician productivity. Read about the latest applications here

Opthalmalogist find many uses for Smartphones

2010-07-02T07:43:00.003-04:00

A recent article in the journal Ophthalmology (Ophthalmology
Volume 117, Issue 6, June 2010, Pages 1274-1274.e3) found multiple uses for smarthphones including: testing near vision, an Ansler grid, Ishihara color plates and for gauging pupil size. According to the article, opthalmologists are using high resolution cameras on smartphones to collect presentation-quality images such as MRI findings and slit-lamp exams for conferences. With over 2500 iPhone apps in the medical section, this device is rapidly becoming a favored device for physicians in all specialties.

iPhones on other networks?

2010-06-19T09:37:00.000-04:00

It doesn't look promising for iPhones to be released on other cellphone networks. Maybe it's time to switch and stop waiting? I'm seriously considering this given the explosion of apps in medicine and the future uncertainty with Palm.

- Help File: Forget about the mythical 'Verizon iPhone' already

iPhone 4 first hands-on! (update: FaceTime video demo) -- Engadget

2010-06-15T07:01:00.000-04:00

It's sad to say, but it truly looks like Palm's reign as the physician's trusty sidekick is coming to an end. There is just too much uncertainty about the future of Palm, which switched to a new OS (Web OS) last year and the company has just been sold to HP. The final nails in the coffin appear not only in the magnificent hardware that the new Apple iPhone version offers, but the thousands of developers of medical apps that have now replaced all my trusty Palm applications. Here are a few quotes from the Engadget review, with my take on how physicians will use these new features to the fullest:

"As we said, it's shockingly thin."----perfect for slipping in your lab coat and assisting you with rounds or office patients. It's there when you need it and will be even less obtrusive. All of our younger faculty at UVA now have these over the old Palm devices.
"The screen is truly outrageous -- you basically cannot see pixels on it. We're not being hyperbolic when we say it's easily the best looking mobile phone screen we've ever laid eyes on."----not only is this great for my aging eyes, but think of the potential for clinical documentation (e.g. pictures of rashes or cellulitis monitoring) AND for educating your patients by showing them risk calculations or going over a patient handout that you can print out.
"The build quality is really solid. The home button feels much snappier, and on the whole it just feels like a tightly-packed device, but it's not heavy."-----works faster.....perfect for the point of care....who has extra time for waiting?
"The side buttons are really nice and clicky."----not sure how this applies clinically, but I'm open to comments. That being said it's additional functionality that should make use in your clinic or hospital that much easier.
"iOS 4 is very familiar -- there's not a lot added to fit and finish."-----this is great, no need to re-learn the interface. I hate it when a website changes it's look and I can't find the one thing I need....especially when I'm in clinic.
"The general speed of the whole OS is way snappier. The camera app in particular is noticeably faster -- shots get snapped in an instant."----once again, this should enhance it's usefulness in the clinic.

For the full reviews and some video posts, check out the links below.

iPhone 4 first hands-on! (update: FaceTime video demo) -- Engadget

Gizmodo's review

And if you're really thinking about switching, try this comparison review: Apple iPhone 4 vs. the smartphone elite: EVO 4G, N8, Pre Plus, and HD2 (Engadget)

Medscape Mobile

2010-06-13T21:57:00.000-04:00

New iPhone/iTouch app that brings physicians a great drug reference, interaction checker, a multimedia clinical reference, medical news and CME! Free for your iPhone/iTouch.

Medscape Mobile

FCC Broadband Plan Advocates Mobile Medical Apps, Electronic Health Records - Health Care IT from eWeek

2010-06-13T21:51:00.000-04:00

The FCC's new Broadband Plan has a large section advocating for increasing broadband to accommodate mobile health solutions for physicians and patients.

FCC Broadband Plan Advocates Mobile Medical Apps, Electronic Health Records - Health Care IT from eWeek

Using PDAs in Medical School Works

2010-05-31T15:08:00.000-04:00

A recently published study found that medical students completed 11 times more case entries than students using paper logs. There were a host of other promising outcomes that seem to support computerized logs over paper-based methods.

The impact of a personal digital assistant (PDA) c... [Teach Learn Med. 2009] - PubMed result

Tracking and Sharing Observations from Daily Life Could Transform Chronic Care Management - RWJF

2010-03-07T09:52:00.001-05:00

Mobile solutions being funded by RWJ for your patients. We have seen the use of the Apple iPhone solution "LoseIt" gaining popularity in our clinic and among patients. Are any others being used successfully by patients in your practice?

Review of Palm Pre Plus and Palm Pixi Plus

2010-03-06T10:54:00.001-05:00

Both of these devices are now available on the Verizon network and you can read the full reviews here. The main difficulty with these devices as a busy physician is the battery life. Make sure to optimize your battery time and have spare batteries and chargers! Otherwise, the interface and usability is outstanding.

How to maximize battery life on your iPhone

2010-02-19T08:42:00.000-05:00

If you're a busy doc, you need to use all these tips for maximizing battery life so you can make those patient and pharmacy calls on the drive home without missing dinner or frantically looking for youe iPhone charger. Even more important if you receive text pages through your iPhone, or when you are traveling! Stay tuned for tips on the Palm Pre in my next blog

HCPLive | The preeminent online destination for tools, techniques, and information for healthcare professionals | Primary Care | Getting the Most Out of Your iPhone

Top Medical Apps for iPhone

2009-11-12T11:09:00.001-05:00

A nice selection of some of the more useful apps for iPhones. Stay tuned for my own top 10 in the next few weeks.

Majority of Physicians Using Smartphones

2009-10-11T15:23:00.002-04:00

I'm not surprised by this new survey data reported in the Wall Street Journal. It showed that 64% of physicians are using smartphones, and they project that this will increase to 81% by 2011. The real question is....how many are actually using them for important, medically-related tasks? As apps continue to mature, gain credibility, and become easily delivered (particularly on devices other than iPhones), this potential should increase dramatically in the next few years.

Palm thinks small with new Pixi smartphone | Wireless - CNET News

2009-09-26T10:21:00.001-04:00

Palm thinks small with new Pixi smartphone | Wireless - CNET News

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Palm Pixi Announced!

2009-09-22T21:25:00.001-04:00

The latest device by Palm, the "Pixi," will be released soon. Like Centro meets Palm Pre, a very sleek device that will entice many new users to the new Palm WebOS.

MedCalc App Review (v1.2)

2009-09-19T08:42:00.003-04:00

MedCalc is a free medical calculator. It helps you calculate a litany of different medical formulas and has some other helpful features. Some of these features are the pregnancy wheel, dermatome map, eye chart, and growth velocity. Let me make this clear right now, I think you should definitely try this app before you pay for one of the other medical calculators out there.

MedCalc App Review (v1.2)

Classic from Motion Apps to offer synchronization between Palm Pre and Desktop

2009-09-13T20:56:00.002-04:00

Motion Apps just released a video of Palm Pre connecting with a desktop to install classic Palm programs and synchronized wirelessly with your desktop. I'm disappointed this wasn't handled internally by Palm, but letting the developer world do it's magic is so much a part of Palm's history, that I'm not surprised. The outcome is the same....all your old Palm apps should be able to run on the Palm Pre and synchronize with the desktop!

Adding Apps to your Blackberry

2009-09-10T21:04:00.001-04:00

Blackberry released a new app called "Blackberry App World," enabling users to easily download software to their devices similar to the iPhone app store. Read more on this program and how to install it here.

A Week With the Palm Pre SmartPhone

2009-07-29T15:27:00.002-04:00

Nice review.

Many old Palm Apps Should run with MotionApps emulator

2009-06-08T19:49:00.001-04:00

This is a list of the thousands of apps that will now run on the Palm Pre using MotionApps' exciting new emulator. Read the list at this site and suggest new ones to be tested.

New Palm Pre is Available in Sprint Stores

2009-06-07T19:25:00.001-04:00

I just played with the new Palm Pre and am pretty impressed. Definitely better than an iPhone! Next step is to find programs that will run legacy Palm apps. My understanding is that there are a few already available. If developers pick this up like they have the iPhone, it will be a killer phone!

Could addiction treatment be automated?

2009-03-18T15:12:00.001-04:00

A multi-disciplinary conference came up with a bold vision of automated addiction treatment in the year 2020. In my research, we are already looking at the automation of smoking cessation and alcohol misuse/abuse diagnosis and treatment. Could this be the future? Read more here.

A Look Back at Healthcare IT in 2008

2009-01-24T09:40:00.003-05:00

A brief overview of the main healthcare IT issues from 2008. It looks like there is a lot of room for expanding this commentary and coming up with a comprehensive approach to reforming healthcare IT as Obama's economic stimulus plan may have as much as $25B to invest in improving our IT systems. An emphasis on interoperability, mobility and open-source would seem to make sense. (registration may be necessary to view content on Modern Healthcare)

New Palm Phone and Operating System Launched!

2009-01-10T07:56:00.004-05:00

Finally! A new phone from Palm. The new Operating Systems is designed to be "web-centric" and enables running multiple applications at once. The launcher and touch screen are very similar to the iPhone's. The form factors is actually thinner than the iPhone. IN addition, it has a slide-down QWERTY keyboard. This might be the best thing from Palm in years. I will be blogging in the coming weeks on medical applications that can work on the new Operating System, but my guess is that it will run all of the old Palm applications, plus a lot of new applications that will emerge. You can read more and see videos here. The device is going to launch exclusively through Sprint in the first half of this year.

Physicians Practice Special Report on Handhelds

2008-12-20T08:05:00.002-05:00

Use of handheld data devices by physicians has been steadily on the rise. According to AC Nielsen, 57 percent of physicians increased their use of handheld wireless devices in 2007. The same survey found that an average of 38 percent of physicians used handheld wireless devices for professional purposes. By specialty, emergency medicine led the field, with 58 percent of EM physicians using handheld devices. Read this informative report for more information on the use of handhelds for e-prescribing, charge capture and medical records as well as great buying guides just in time for Christmas!