By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    stress disorder
    5 Ways To Manage Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
    October 27, 2021
    Medical device classification and development strategies
    Medical device classification and development strategies
    April 5, 2023
    varicose veins
    Varicose Veins Prevention: 3 Lifestyle Changes to Make Right Now
    May 1, 2022
    Latest News
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
    The Wide-Ranging Benefits of Magnesium Supplements
    June 11, 2025
    The Best Home Remedies for Migraines
    June 5, 2025
    The Hidden Impact Of Stress On Your Body’s Alignment And Balance
    May 22, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Community Connection: Training Lay Responders For Disaster
    Community Connection: Training Lay Responders For Disaster
    April 14, 2019
    How Healthcare Organizations Can Improve Data Security
    September 28, 2020
    4 Car Accident Injury Tips To Get The Compensation You Deserve
    November 2, 2021
    Latest News
    Top HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps for Healthcare Teams
    June 25, 2025
    When Healthcare Ends, the Legal Process Begins: What Families Should Know About Probate and Medical Estates
    June 20, 2025
    Preventing Contamination In Healthcare Facilities Starts With Hygiene
    June 15, 2025
    Strengthening Healthcare Systems Through Clinical and Administrative Career Development
    June 13, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Smart Medicine, SmartPhones
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > eHealth > Mobile Health > Smart Medicine, SmartPhones
eHealthMobile Health

Smart Medicine, SmartPhones

Gary Levin MD
Last updated: June 27, 2012 7:19 am
Gary Levin MD
Share
5 Min Read
SHARE


 


 

More Read

Foursquare in Healthcare
Tracking Food Poisoning Via Twitter
Digital Patient Privacy Loss in EHRs and Other Health IT Systems
Is Your Website Keeping Patients Away From Your Medical Practice?
Transforming the Experience and Delivery of Health Care at the Mayo Clinic

        

The evolution of computer processing power has led to a reduction in size of the most commonly used device used for computing and social media tasks.  The tower shrunk to a desktop or all in one format, the desktop was replaced by laptops and tablets. Tablet PCs, notepads, netbooks are morphing into mobile devices of assorted sizes and utilities, merging with video capabilities.

These changes are key to ‘meaningful usability’ in a medical or hospital environment.

Health care and medicine have lagged behind in the use of social media

How the iPhone set the bar for other smartphones in healthcare –

iPhones could be considered the technology that truly kick started the mobile revolution in home care. Small, easy to use and powerful, the iPhone was the first smartphone to really capture the attention of physicians, and to develop tools and resources for healthcare.
Recent data shows nearly 65 percent of hospitals are supporting iPhone use on their networks, and another 83 percent are supporting its larger cousin, the iPad. 

Dozens of developers create add-ons, plug-ins, special lenses, and apps that can turn the iPhone into any number of use-specific healthcare tools, including:

  • Image-viewers: Recent studieshave shown that the iPhone can be an acceptable viewer for MRI, X-ray and other images, although with the caveat that it shouldn’t be used for primary diagnosis.  
  • Diagnostic tools: Developers have createdstrips, touchscreen devices and other tools to diagnose everything from malaria to e. coli infection via the iPhone. 
  • Remote monitors: iPhones can read and transmit data from remote monitoring devices. For example, the iPhone has been employed as a scanner to take glucose readings from strips of nanosensors under skin.
  • Microscopes: A cheap, $50 lens turns the iPhone into a field microscope. It’s not the same as powerful lab microscopes, but can enlarge images 350 times, which can be more than enough to see tissue abnormalities and even some diseases.
  • Electrocardiograms:  A pocket sized device attached to the back side of a smartphone can transmit a remote rhythm strip to a physician or hospital from a 911 first responder.
  • iPhones also have hefty enough processing capacity to access patient records, Being

    Another key component in the iPhone revolution in healthcare clearly is consumers. Saldana estimates that of the 7,000 users who access his hospital’s MyCare patient portal, 80 to 90 percent do so with iPhones. It was one of the main reasons his team moved early on to enable the hospital’s Epic electronic medical record system for iPhones, and later iPads.

    And iPhones certainly are upping the ante in terms of patients’ expectations, Feldman adds. “Particularly now that patients have access themselves to their data via portals, so often my patients are as up to date as I am on their labs. It would be embarrassing if they have faster access than I did.”

    Physicians will be dragged into social media by their own patients and consumers who will annoyed by not having that functionality with their physician or medical group. Physicians will come to realize the efficiencies of not having to contact the patient about ‘normals’, and the lab data normality can be programmed into the software.

    Security Issues:

    The one lagging item on the iPhone agenda continues to be security. iPhone users are famous for finding workarounds,

    While not HIPAA compliant smartphone experts say they had good luck with “just put[ting] on the lock screen, which encrypts the data on the device and … set[ting] up remote wipe/locate, which are all free features of the phone.” These issues still abound how to encrypt data over the cell and wifi networks.  The military does this already with Blackberry devices, which are standard military issue for email and communication in DOD medical facilities.

    The capability is there and someone is going to come along and develop this capacity.

    And last but not least is social media.  Email is slow compared to using Twitter which can actually function much like a pager with a message displaying and a sound alert much like the now obsolete digital pager. It also facilitates a quick reply if desired.
     

    How the iPhone impacted the handset industry

    How the iPhone set the bar for other smartphones in healthcare –

     

    And during slow times, there is always:

     


     

Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

women dental care
What Is a Smile Makeover and How Much Does It Cost?
Dental health
June 30, 2025
HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps
Top HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps for Healthcare Teams
Global Healthcare Policy & Law Technology
June 25, 2025
recovering from injury
Rebuilding After Injury: Path to Physical and Emotional Recovery
News
June 22, 2025
scientist using microscope
When Healthcare Ends, the Legal Process Begins: What Families Should Know About Probate and Medical Estates
Global Healthcare
June 18, 2025

You Might also Like

The NFL Has Converted to an EHR System. What About You?

November 22, 2012
biopharma beat CES 2015
BusinessDiagnosticsMedical DevicesMedical InnovationsMobile HealthPublic HealthTechnologyWellness

BioPharma Beat: Wearables for Health – A Mile Wide and an Inch Deep

January 12, 2015

Portals, Access, and Engagement: Patients Are Demanding It [INFOGRAPHIC]

July 10, 2013

Your Employees Are Your Best Brand Ambassadors

August 6, 2014
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?