Medicine and smartphones pt. 2

Never again do patients have to worry about their doctors being unavailable. Never again do med students have to worry about not having the right answer.

It’s hard to imagine that doctors still carry around pagers, a device that’s all but extinct, but it’s unfortunately true. Thankfully, smartphones have begun to replace the outdated gadgets and are using a technology that’s far more useful. Sure the smartphone can relay messages, but they are much more complex than that. The great thing about smartphones are the screens. Doctors can now receive EKGs on their smartphones and diagnose a patient. It’s no longer necessary for a doctor to log in to a computer to access the files he or she needs. A patient’s information is sent directly to the doctor.

Some people might worry about the screen size, though. Let’s face it, smartphones have small screens that make reading a trial let along looking at an important images and information to diagnose a potentially serious issue. Fear not. Tests have shown that doctors have accurately read the data 90 percent of the time, which is equal to live readings.

One issue with this convenience is the convenience. Do you really want your doctor taking a look at your information and diagnosing you while stuck in traffic? Or on a bathroom break at a family dinner? Doctors might be tempted to diagnose while distracted.

Med students on the other hand won’t have to worry about running out of the room to double-check something before they tell a patient. Learning is hard. It becomes even harder when the information isn’t readily available. Students can continue speaking with patients while they look something up. But, there’s a downside as always with this new technology. As a patient you’ll just have to trust that the student attending to you is working and not playing on the his or her smartphone.

Medicine and smartphones pt. 1

The more apps there are for smartphones the more convenient those inconviences in life become. Now you can use your smartphone to make doctors’ visits easier.

Going to the doctor is often a hassle, especially if you visit multiple doctors. With certain apps doctors can simply share medical records and doctors and patients can correct errors in these records with little to no hassle. Blue Cross sent out an app to more than 5,000 patients so they can carry their medical information and history with them.

Other apps all prescriptions to be sent from the doctor to drugstores, both chains and independent pharmacies. No more dropping off the prescription and hanging around Walgreen’s or waiting to get a call for the medicine to be ready for pick up. You can use apps to make sure there won’t be any adverse interactions between medicines or that allergies won’t be an issue.

Diabetics can even use an app to keep track of what they eat, blood sugar and insulin intake thanks to an undergraduate at Princeton University who wrote the app with his brother. The app takes the information inputed and then graphs the data. Thanks to a recent grant, the app should soon be able to be shared over the Internet so doctors can access the information and help patients.