Doctors see Apple's iPhone as life saver in 'the future of medicine'

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  • Reply 21 of 45
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by icoco3 View Post




    Quote:

    Originally Posted by mstone View Post


    He did not mention viewing X-rays, CAT scans or MRI image data on the mini. Even the regular iPad with retina screen is not officially suitable for that type of work since to be accurate the high resolution monitors used for viewing and evaluating medical image data is done in a controlled lighting environment such as a room with low ambient light. An iPad mini or full size might be appropriate for quick presentation or as a visual aid while on rounds but in no way replaces the full fledged medical imaging suite.



     


    At our hospitals the X-Rays are digital so do not need to be viewed in low light conditions.  Low light is needed to be able to see physical film.



    Have you ever been in a medical imaging suite? Digital 3D X-rays is my business and I have worked in the field since 2001.


     


    The same principles of ambient light apply regardless of the media.


     


     I suppose if you are outside in direct sunlight your digital X-rays look just fine on your iPad. Right....

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  • Reply 22 of 45
    kdarlingkdarling Posts: 1,640member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


    The Android gets malware, killing you. The doctor removes your room from his schedule on the iPad, and it's automatically updated across all of his devices, thanks to iCloud.



     


    Ha.  Pretty funny, TS!   Or maybe...


     


    Doctor pulls out an iOS device to scan patient's internals.  Uh oh.  The app detects that the patient is naked under the sheets, and goes into Apple Puritan Mode, refusing to display anything.  The iTunes store deletes the scanning program just in case.   Apple's lawyers go on high alert.


     


    *sniff*


     


    Seriously, I don't think any of the aspiring comedians in this thread should quit our day jobs yet.  image

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  • Reply 23 of 45
    jfanningjfanning Posts: 3,398member
    The Android gets malware, killing you. The doctor removes your room from his schedule on the iPad, and it's automatically updated across all of his devices, thanks to iCloud.

    Some countries have strong rules disallowing health imformation being stored on the likes of iCloud
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  • Reply 24 of 45


    Originally Posted by KDarling View Post

    Doctor pulls out an iOS device to scan patient's internals.  Uh oh.  The app detects that the patient is naked under the sheets, and goes into Apple Puritan Mode, refusing to display anything.  The iTunes store deletes the scanning program just in case.   Apple's lawyers go on high alert.


     


    I was thinking more "app uses augmented reality processing to automatically add fig leaves in the style of A.D.A.M. The Inside Story". But that's old and obscure. 






    Originally Posted by jfanning View Post

    Some countries have strong rules disallowing health imformation being stored on the likes of iCloud


     



    This is becoming a funny thread; he's right.

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  • Reply 25 of 45
    It's time medicine caught up with the 21st century. Eliminate paper work and digitize everything, so EMS can know a victim's medical history, recent health history prior/during the incident that required EMS; patient chart data that appears at a nurse's/doctor's tablet instantly when requested, or when they enter the patient's room, as well as alerts for condition changes; surgery AI that keeps track of EVERYTHING before, during and after a procedure so surgeons don't mess up or forget things... These things speed up diagnosis, save time and money, prevent mistakes, and increase overall efficiency of doctor's offices and hospitals. We need more of this kind of technologies.
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  • Reply 26 of 45
    cash907cash907 Posts: 893member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by gwmac View Post



    I think doctors prefer the iPad mini by a wide margin. At least that is the case from my own observations which may be limited but provide a pretty nice sample size. It is small and light enough to easily fit in our pockets (lab coat not pants) and is large enough to easily read. My most used medical apps are Medscape and Epocrates and both of them have some pretty small fonts. It is far easier to read drug interactions for example on a Mini vs. an iPhone screen. The iPad with certain apps is a huge time saver and also helps with far better and more efficacious initial triage.


     


    All the doctors I know who are tech savvy use Galaxy Notes, as the screen is large enough for looking at pictures and scribbling in notes with the included stylus, but small enough to be taken everywhere when not in the office. Plus it's a phone, so they don't have to bring along a separate gadget. Personally I use a fully sized iPad, but I prefer the larger screen and already carry around a notebook sized leather binder anyway, so the size isn't an issue for me.

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  • Reply 27 of 45
    cash907cash907 Posts: 893member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by marokero View Post



    It's time medicine caught up with the 21st century. Eliminate paper work and digitize everything, so EMS can know a victim's medical history, recent health history prior/during the incident that required EMS; patient chart data that appears at a nurse's/doctor's tablet instantly when requested, or when they enter the patient's room, as well as alerts for condition changes; surgery AI that keeps track of EVERYTHING before, during and after a procedure so surgeons don't mess up or forget things... These things speed up diagnosis, save time and money, prevent mistakes, and increase overall efficiency of doctor's offices and hospitals. We need more of this kind of technologies.


     


    It's more about medical law than medical technology. There are state and federal laws that prevent scenarios like the one you mention. Even if I were to request a patient's charge be emailed from their previous doctor, I must get written permission from that patient first. This is usually handled with a section of the form they fill out when they first come to see me, but it is still required nonetheless.


    Even as a medical professional, I wouldn't sign away my records to any large database of the sort you describe, given the lack of security inherent in current systems. No, the closest to this you are likely to see in the near future are evolved "med-alert bracelets" that contain the patient's latest records in an imbedded NFC chip which can only be accessed with tightly regulated scanners.

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  • Reply 28 of 45
    froodfrood Posts: 771member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


     


    The Android gets malware, killing you. The doctor removes your room from his schedule on the iPad, and it's automatically updated across all of his devices, thanks to iCloud.



     


    However, it maps your room to a different location and instead deletes an operating room.  The mistake is caught, but before it can update, iCloud goes down *again*


    Everyone slated for surgery dies.  Siri chimes in to remind the doctor he will need more body bags.


     


    The media blames Apple and their shares plummet to an even more negative number!


     


     


    Okay.  I'm with KDarling on not quitting our day jobs to become lousy comedians.


     


    What I do think is awesome though is the original story and don't care if its an Apple or Android (or even a WP or Blackberry phone).  The fact that devices are getting these capabilities is just pretty frickin cool.   I remember my first iPhone when people were still in the 'whats so special about the iPhone' phase.  There was an app that would show x-rays of 'your' hand- you just always had to use your left hand and learn the pattern to move over your hand.  People would get boggled by it (well, the gullible people anyway).  Nowadays its seeming less and less far fetched.

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  • Reply 29 of 45
    asciiascii Posts: 5,936member


    When these little sensors get cheap enough, perhaps new clothes will have them stitched in, beaming a warming to your phone if they detect a health problem. Of course if you're a nudist you will have no warning.

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  • Reply 30 of 45
    kdarlingkdarling Posts: 1,640member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by ascii View Post


    When these little sensors get cheap enough, perhaps new clothes will have them stitched in, beaming a warming to your phone if they detect a health problem. Of course if you're a nudist you will have no warning.



     


    Yep.  But for now, sensors are put directly on the subject:


     


    There are companies that make disposable NFC skin patches, that you stick on a patient to measure temperature, pressure, or even deliver medication.  Oh, and of course aid in identification.   


     


    There are wireless pulse oximeters and EKG sensors.


     


    Also, wasn't there a Kickstarter project for a Dr McCoy type remote sensor?   Or was that just an environmental reader.

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  • Reply 31 of 45
    jungmarkjungmark Posts: 6,928member
    kdarling wrote: »
    Oh don't worry.   Unlike iOS, Android can be used in embedded medical applications.   It's already replacing Windows CE which was used a lot (as is Linux) in such devices.


    So while the doctor is using an iPad Mini to check your chart, an Android driven device will be monitoring your life signs.

    Let the bad jokes commence 

    The Android monitors will start playing ads and if u flatline, an aspirin ad appears. Of course the monitors will freeze up and you have to unplug it to clear the damn thing. Then of course the monitors will only be on Android 2.2.
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  • Reply 32 of 45
    jungmarkjungmark Posts: 6,928member
    Oh and I thought iOS devices are toys. /s
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  • Reply 33 of 45
    asciiascii Posts: 5,936member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by KDarling View Post


     


    There are companies that make disposable NFC skin patches, that you stick on a patient to measure temperature, pressure, or even deliver medication.  Oh, and of course aid in identification.   


     


    There are wireless pulse oximeters and EKG sensors.



    Cool, we are further along than I thought!

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  • Reply 34 of 45


    A doctor walks into a patient's room and says, "I've got some good news and some bad news. Which would you like to hear first?"


     


    The patient says, "Gimme the bad news first, doc."


     


    The doctor says, "Unfortunately, we amputated the wrong leg. You're scheduled for surgery to remove the other leg first thing in the morning."


     


    The patient says, "Jesus H. f**k, doc! What's the good news?"


     


    The doctor says, "The guy next door wants to buy your slippers!"

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  • Reply 35 of 45


    I can see these devices being replaced (or at least supplemented) by an iOS 'device' and a dedicated sensor/dongle:


     


    Blood glucose meter


    Pulse oximeter


    Blood pressure monitor


    EKG


    Fetal heart monitor


    Ultrasound


    Polysomnography (sleep study)


     


    It would be great for so many reasons.  However, the Affordable Care Act includes a medical device tax for manufacturers of such devices.


     


    Nothing like labeling your law "affordable" and then taxing the very device makers who would create such devices.


     


    Maybe Obama will quit smoking. image


     


    Only in the good ole' US of A.

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  • Reply 36 of 45
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    woodlink wrote: »
    Maybe Obama will quit smoking.

    It does seem odd that he would smoke. Unfortunately some people probably think he's literally rolling his own cigarettes with pieces of the constitution.
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  • Reply 37 of 45

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Woodlink View Post


    I can see these devices being replaced (or at least supplemented) by an iOS 'device' and a dedicated sensor/dongle:


     


    Blood glucose meter


    Pulse oximeter


    Blood pressure monitor


    EKG


    Fetal heart monitor


    Ultrasound


    Polysomnography (sleep study)


     


    It would be great for so many reasons.  However, the Affordable Care Act includes a medical device tax for manufacturers of such devices.


     


    Nothing like labeling your law "affordable" and then taxing the very device makers who would create such devices.


     


    Maybe Obama will quit smoking. image


     


    Only in the good ole' US of A.



    You're kidding right? Harvard conducted a study showing that 70% of personal bankruptcies were medically related. Of those, over 50%, had insurance! WTF! 

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  • Reply 38 of 45
    woodlink wrote: »
    I can see these devices being replaced (or at least supplemented) by an iOS 'device' and a dedicated sensor/dongle:

    Blood glucose meter
    Pulse oximeter
    Blood pressure monitor
    EKG
    Fetal heart monitor
    Ultrasound
    Polysomnography (sleep study)

    It would be great for so many reasons.  However, the Affordable Care Act includes a medical device tax for manufacturers of such devices.

    Nothing like labeling your law "affordable" and then taxing the very device makers who would create such devices.

    Maybe Obama will quit smoking. :lol:

    Only in the good ole' US of A.

    Your mention of sleep study brings back memories...

    In the 1978-1989 timeframe we had computer stores in Silicon Valley. One of our best customers was Dr. William Dement head of the Stanford Sleep Center. They started using Apple ][ computers to monitor and report patient tests and observations. They eventually networked these Apple ][, and later Macs. Dr. Dement was well respected and apparently had Carte Blanche (grants) to buy whatever technology he needed... We even installed a LAN in his home on campus.

    I remember one story from that era... The Sleep Center was interested in studying the effect of smoking pot on sleep disorders... So they were actively recruiting people to stay at the hospital, smoke a few, and be observed... The recruits were paid for their time and all expenses, plus free meals, room, services... AIR, the average stay was about a week?

    Not too shabby duty!

    I wouldn't be surprised if they use iPhones and iPads, for many of today's procedures.
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  • Reply 39 of 45
    froodfrood Posts: 771member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by ascii View Post


    When these little sensors get cheap enough, perhaps new clothes will have them stitched in, beaming a warming to your phone if they detect a health problem. Of course if you're a nudist you will have no warning.



     


    Nice.  Take it a step further and when my shirt detects my heart has stopped my phone can tell my shirt to give me a little shock to fire it up again.  =)


    "Siri:  You SOOoooo  owe me!"   Android phones can send me an ad for the nearest cardiologist, I won't mind.

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  • Reply 40 of 45
    Does his device use the 30-pin connector or the new Lightning adapter? There has been a paucity of devices with Lightning connectors and I fear that only those users with older iPhones would be able to take advantage of this groundbreaking technology.
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