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 Thankfully, smartphones have begun to replace the outdated gadgets and are using a technology that’s far more useful.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.