Unveiled yesterday at Apple's annual conference for software developers, the iPhone 4 is thinner, prettier, and has a longer battery life than its predecessor. But for healthcare professionals, the big news is that it shoots hi-def video and is packed with four times the pixels. Good for Farmville fans; even better for those who use medical apps, many of which rely on high resolution and advanced sharing capabilities. A few of the latest examples:
Take a test drive
Take, for example, the app for interactive, high-res surgical procedure training. One simulation replicates the challenging laparoscopic nephrectomy procedure. Urologists can practice the procedure in a virtual clinical environment without risks to patients or recurring training costs, says maker Simbionix. Course materials include featured 3D animations and interactive quizzes to test comprehension and the company plans to release more apps for a variety of procedures and topics.
Listen and learn
Thinklabs has released iMurmur 2, which lets medical students, cardiologists, and others to learn or classify patient heart sounds. The app includes digital heart sounds recordings, phonocardiograms, diagrams, and educational content. The company also has a stethoscope app that records, documents, and e-mails heart and lung sounds from the bedside or clinic.
Examine a virtual body
University of Utah researchers recently developed two iPhone applications that allow scientists, students, doctors, and others to study the human body, evaluate medical problems, and analyze three-dimensional images. Using ImageVis3D, users can display, rotate, and otherwise manipulate 3-D images of medical CT and MRI scans and a wide range of scientific images. AnatomyLab allows students to conduct a virtual dissection on images of a real human cadaver.
Search for science
Oncologists can use the CancerTrials App to research experimental therapies in clinical trials and share them with their patients. The app, released by Glaxosmithkline and Medtrust Online, starts with 12 common cancers and narrows the search by gender, age, trial status, and location. The program maps relevant studies for the patient.
Tie an electronic string on your finger
Emerging Healthcare Solutions, Inc. is working on an app that aims to reduce medication errors. Scheduled for release this summer, it will call users daily to remind them which medicine they're due to take, the exact dosage they should take, and the exact time they should take it.
Want more? Check out these previous stories on healthcare apps:
- Top 10 Smartphone App Trends for 2010
- Killer Smartphone Apps for On-the-Go Physicians
- Smartphone Apps Liberating Clinicians, Improving Quality
- Will the iPad Revolutionize Healthcare?
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