Roundup of New Health and Medical Apps for the iPhone
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Joshua Schwimmer, MD, FACP, FASN
Image via WikipediaThe number of applications in the iTunesApp Store for the iPhone and iPod Touch is growing rapidly, and a surprising number of them are related to health and medicine. Here's a sampling. (The links will take you directly to the applications in iTunes.)
iChart a digital medical record system designed for iPhone, has been released by CareTools.
iChart has been designed to act as an electronic “personal medical assistant” and focuses on streamlining the daily “chart, bill and fill” routine of every healthcare provider. iChart leverages the advanced capabilities of iPhone and iPod touch to warehouse patient data, and images, in addition to providing an updated list of medications, drug interactions, pharmacies, billing codes and complaint specific clinical templates. Synchronization of new information is accomplished wirelessly using secure web technology and iChart allows a single provider or entire healthcare network to automate medical data capture and effortlessly look-up patient related information using an efficiently designed “touch and tap” interface.
PointsCalc, an application for dieters, allows you to quickly estimate the number of "points" in a given food.
Quitter tracks how long you've been cigarette-free and how much you've saved by not smoking.
Glucose-charter, an application for diabetics, is a blood glucose reporting tool (as well as a "food information display"). My Life Record is a personal health record (PHR).
One of the most powerful features of the My Life Record software are the ability to keep an official, verifiable copy of your exact medical chart within reach of your iPhone. While other personal medical applications rely on you or your doctor to enter the information into a program, My Life Record uses patent pending technology to take your exact medical record and retain it for your own use, for sharing with your doctors, for sharing with your family, or for any other purpose that a legally verifiable copy of your medical record is needed
If you have experience with any of these applications, please feel free to post a comment.
Image via WikipediaFreeMD. A virtual emergency room physician. From the website:
Hi, I’m Dr. Stephen Schueler, an emergency room physician, and your virtual doctor. Type a symptom or condition into the box and a menu will appear. If you select a topic marked "Virtual Doctor" I will interview you and tell you what’s wrong. I’ll help you decide if you need to see a doctor, and why.
Four percent of physicians reported having an extensive, fully functional electronic-records system, and 13% reported having a basic system. In multivariate analyses, primary care physicians and those practicing in large groups, in hospitals or medical centers, and in the western region of the United States were more likely to use electronic health records. Physicians reported positive effects of these systems on several dimensions of quality of care and high levels of satisfaction. Financial barriers were viewed as having the greatest effect on decisions about the adoption of electronic health records.
Instead of taking daily snapshots of the patient's levels of blood proteins, the company's nanosensors should allow for continuous monitoring of changes that occur over periods of only a few hours.
Nearly eight years after the critically acclaimed series, Hopkins 24/7, ABC News returns to Baltimore's Johns Hopkins Hospital for a new six-part documentary entitled Hopkins, which delves even deeper into the world of caregivers at this hospital. Hopkins offers a rare look at the impact this high pressure profession can have on doctors' personal lives. For four months ABC News' high definition cameras had unparalleled access to this legendary hospital and to more than a hundred caregivers and patients who gave their consent to be filmed. Hopkins captures astounding scenes of medical crisis, with young doctors forced to make life and death decisions on the fly. The result is a stunningly intimate portrait of the men and women who call this hospital home.
How much is your life worth? According to the EPA, $6.9 million.
Image by Josh Bancroft via FlickrA few weeks ago, I cataloged 22 types of medical applications we might see released for Apple’s iPhone. Number 1? A drug database. And on July 11th — along with the opening of the “App Store” on iTunes — Epocrates Rx, the free mobile drug reference, was finally released for iPhone and iPod Touch.
It’s about time. Losing this application — an encyclopedia of essential knowledge in your pocket — was the hardest part of switching from the Treo to iPhone last year. Sure, you can access drug information on the web, through UpToDate or the Epocrates website, but it’s not the same as having this database available anytime.
Epocrates Rx for the iPhone was worth waiting for. The freestanding application in Apple’s newly released App Store is polished, takes full advantage of the iPhone’s interface, and has features not found in any other version.
In the last several days, I’ve taken the application through a stress test in the office and in the hospital, and while it’s occasionally crashed and rebooted the iPhone — this is version 1.0, after all — it’s been a pleasure to use. Here are some initial observations and screenshots.
It’s quick. The interface is speedier than on the Treo. (The problem, of course, is when it crashes and you have to wait to reboot your phone.)
Appearance matters. Tap a drug name and the screen scrolls horizontally, revealing a menu listing dosing options, contraindications, reactions, and other information. Tap on “adult dosing” and the screen scrolls again. Few interfaces are this elegant and intuitive.
The pill ID is actually useful. I thought the feature allowing you to display the appearance of a medication was gimmicky, not useful. Until today, when a nurse asked me to confirm the identity the home medication of a hospitalized patient. A colleague also recently told me that she uses Epocrates "all the time" to help identify patients’ birth control pills.
To summarize: if you have an iPhone, get Epocrates. If you don’t have an iPhone — and were worried about getting one because of the lack of medical software — worry no more.
A Link to All iPhone Applications in the App Store Sorted by Release Date
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Joshua Schwimmer, MD, FACP, FASN
A longer post reviewing the medical apps in the iTunes store is forthcoming. Meanwhile, here's a useful bit of advice for all you iPhone owners. Enjoy.
Image via WikipediaIf you're like many iPhone owners, you're trying out dozens of new apps from the iTunes store right now.
As you browse the store, you've probably also discovered that new apps are being released daily, but there's no simple way to identify them. (SimStapler? Not so useful. Byline, a client for Google Reader? Very useful.) Running iTunes and navigating to the screen which lists all the new apps takes four to five steps. Not very efficient.
Wouldn't it be great if there was a link to the iTunes store which showed all new iPhone applications, sorted by release date? Here it is: tinyurl.com/newiphoneapps
Drag the link to your browser bar, and you have one-click access to all the new iPhone apps.
On days like this, I really appreciate tinyurl. Here's the longer version of the link:
The Healthline Site, its content, such as text, graphics, images, search
results, HealthMaps, Trust Marks, and other material contained on the
Healthline Site ("Content"), its services, and any information or material
posted on the Healthline Site by third parties are provided for informational
purposes only. None of the foregoing is a substitute for professional medical
advice, examination, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of a
physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may
have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice
or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on the Healthline
Site. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911
immediately. Please read the Terms of Service for more information regarding
use of the Healthline Site.
Image via WikipediaThe number of applications in the iTunes App Store for the iPhone and iPod Touch is growing rapidly, and a surprising number of them are related to health and medicine. Here's a sampling. (The links will take you directly to the applications in iTunes.)
