“The stethoscope – medical icon, lifesaver and doctor’s best friend – is disappearing from hospitals across the world as physicians increasingly use their smartphones to monitor patients’ heartbeats.
More than 3 million doctors have downloaded a 59p application – invented by Peter Bentley, a researcher from University College London – which turns an Apple iPhone into a stethoscope.
Last week, Bentley introduced a free version of the app, which is being downloaded by more than 500 users a day. Experts say the software, a major advance in medical technology, has saved lives and enabled doctors in remote areas to access specialist expertise.
“Everybody is very excited about the potential of the adoption of mobile phone technology into the medical workplace, and rightly so,” said Bentley, who initially developed the app “as a fun toy”.
“Smartphones are incredibly powerful devices packed full of sensors, cameras, high-quality microphones with amazing displays,” he said. “They are capable of saving lives, saving money and improving healthcare in a dramatic fashion – and we carry these massively powerful computers in our pockets.”
Bentley’s iStethoscope application is not the only mobile phone programme lightening doctors’ bags and transforming their practices: there are nearly 6,000 applications related to health in the Apple App Store. The uptake has been rapid. In late 2009, two-thirds of doctors and 42% of the public were using smartphones – in effect inexpensive handheld computers – for personal and professional reasons. More than 80% of doctors said they expected to own a smartphone by 2012.”
Read more at The Guardian (Thanks @rogibson)
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a good idea but smartphones can and will be touched by whole households spreading untold amounts of germs where a stethoscope wouldn’t, also you don’t need to worry about the battery going dead on a stethoscope!
… but I’ve never seen a sign in a hospital asking people to “Please switch off your sethoscopes.”
Well, if my doc pulled out an iphone to do anything medical, id find a new doctor. This is the most ridiculous story I’ve ever read. Android market has a heart rate app, works perfectly fine, but if a doc was going to use it instead of doing it with a dedicated machine, id not be happy!
I agree with you Chris.
“A major advance in medical technology” is an out right joke.
A cheap iPhone app running through untrustworthy hardware (ie, not dedicated and tested hardware). It may be reliable at home but for any serious use it can not be trusted.
The amount of stuff those things can do, they’ll replace stethoscopes, measuring tapes, board games, calculators, phone books, newspapers, sat navs, computer games, books, light switches, DVDs, CDs, radios, laptops, TVs, all other mobile phones, credit cards, paper money, world leaders, and eventually, religion (In fifty years, we’ll all be worshiping at the Church of Apple.
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If this app hasn’t taken away to be tested, calibrated and verified as accurate, then any doctor using it needs a good slap.
That is just so lazy and stupid that I have no words…
Scenario. Casualty dragged out of surf on beach, waterlogged with salty water.
Whilst attending to patient doctor’s smartphone has a little drink of salty water..
Result. 2 casualties and doctor is running to his car looking for the old stethoscope in the glove box.