A new iPhone app that mimics a stethoscope might help doctors and nurses out.
So far, some three million physicians have downloaded the $0.99 iStethoscope to be able to monitor the heart rates of patients on the go.
According to creator Peter Bentley, a researcher at University College London, "smart phones are capable of saving lives, saving money and improving health care in a dramatic fashion."
He says he first created the app to be a "fun toy," but now says he hopes in the not too distant future the smart phone can be used as mobile vital sign monitors, "fully-fledged integrated designs capable of taking ultra sound scanners or monitor a patient's blood pressure."
Over 80% of all doctors polled said they expected to be using a smart phone by the year 2012. The iPhone's FaceTime chat app has already been used by many physicians for doing consultations. While the stethoscope app is certainly handy, it might be somewhat awkward to use until you get used to it.
It is recommended that you not use the very popular iPhone white ear buds while using this stethoscope app to increase the quality of sound since heart sounds are deeper in quality and cant be fully heard with them. Also they suggest removing any iPhone case you may be using as they can get in the way of the app giving you the best results. To listen to a heartbeat all that's required is to place the microphone located on the bottom side of your Apple iPhone to the skin directly.
Peter Bentley also cautions that in most cases it can take a doctor years to learn to use a stethoscope with mastery, and that Apple smart phone's microphone is a lot smaller than the head of a stethoscope. But with some practice he says you should be able to get a great sound.
And just think: more precocious kids can learn to play doctor using their parent's iPhones.
So far, some three million physicians have downloaded the $0.99 iStethoscope to be able to monitor the heart rates of patients on the go.
According to creator Peter Bentley, a researcher at University College London, "smart phones are capable of saving lives, saving money and improving health care in a dramatic fashion."
He says he first created the app to be a "fun toy," but now says he hopes in the not too distant future the smart phone can be used as mobile vital sign monitors, "fully-fledged integrated designs capable of taking ultra sound scanners or monitor a patient's blood pressure."
Over 80% of all doctors polled said they expected to be using a smart phone by the year 2012. The iPhone's FaceTime chat app has already been used by many physicians for doing consultations. While the stethoscope app is certainly handy, it might be somewhat awkward to use until you get used to it.
It is recommended that you not use the very popular iPhone white ear buds while using this stethoscope app to increase the quality of sound since heart sounds are deeper in quality and cant be fully heard with them. Also they suggest removing any iPhone case you may be using as they can get in the way of the app giving you the best results. To listen to a heartbeat all that's required is to place the microphone located on the bottom side of your Apple iPhone to the skin directly.
Peter Bentley also cautions that in most cases it can take a doctor years to learn to use a stethoscope with mastery, and that Apple smart phone's microphone is a lot smaller than the head of a stethoscope. But with some practice he says you should be able to get a great sound.
And just think: more precocious kids can learn to play doctor using their parent's iPhones.
About the Author:
Stethascope Stethoscopes Now Have Their Own iPhone App! Another thing to consider is letting your kids use it to play doctor, allowing them to get a jump on their education! While the stethoscope app is certainly handy, it might be somewhat awkward to use until you get used to it.
0 comments:
Post a Comment