Mobile medical applications - Essay Example

number the paper Mobile medical applications Mobile applications are software applications specifically designed to perform specialized functionalities, and run on smartphones tablet PC’s and other advanced mobile devices. Typically, they are operated by the owner of the mobile device via an operating system. Similarly, mobile medical applications are used to assist in health Science and medicine fields by the professionals for easier access of information, and aid those in the medical field to process data for expertise while serving the patients and other clients. These applications are available either as freeware or can be purchased through online distribution platforms such as Google play or Apple store and offer a variety of user friendly applications. As mobile and smartphone technology advanced these applications, popularly referred to as applications became more sophisticated to include a number of fields. To start with, iPhone is a line of internet as well as multimedia-enabled smartphones. They are mostly designed and marketed by the Apple Company. This device has proved to be versatile and ubiquitous tool and therefore it can be customized for any desired task. Additionally, iPhone has a very significant role to play in health care currently and in future. This stems from the fact that the contemporary world is changing tremendously and iPhone is not locally designed which gives it an added advantage as a global tool. (Grothaus et al, 2011) How is iPhone changing health care? Smartphone applications have an integral part to play in healthcare technology. This is because it can be used in many different ways to change the lifestyle of many people around the universe. This is happening in a rapid pace for it is enabling humanity to manage their healthcare. In addition, the health care providers and patients are using the iPhone and other medical applications to communicate. This enables the sharing of important pieces of information using the mobile technology. For instance, an appliance like the Medscape which is basic in the iPhone is well known for boasting many references. These references include, drug, disease clinical references, clinical image and procedural videos. IPhone also has an Epocrates applications feature which is used as a drug interaction tool checker and pill identifier used by the doctors to monitor their patients accurately. IPhone can also help the researchers and the physicians with tangible information which would help them to compile a good research and information about different sicknesses and how to combat them either using curative or preventive measures. For this reason, IPhone will enable the medical professionals to be able to process any information in a very minimal time. While this transition takes place health care will no longer be time consuming as it used to be. (Holzinger, 2011) Furthermore, doctors are now prescribing the health applications with their clients in everything. For example some doctors prescribe these applications as pill reminders for the diabetic patients as well as those using a family planning method. This means that the iPhone as a smartphone will facilitate the changes in the health care especially how it is run and managed now and in the near future. Moreover, without medical schools it will be almost impossible to have great physicians and doctors in the planet. This means that the aspiring students must be taught from a humble beginning to use devices like the IPhone to process information and attend to the patient. As a result the higher institutions of learning for medical student have to adapt to the new ways of teaching to incorporate the modern technology. This will help the young professionals to be fully equipped in the medical field. This means that the curriculum will be adapted to help the young student acclimatize with the medical mobile applications which they will use to expertize in their specialization. Additionally, the doctors and the medical students will no longer just equip themselves with the technical knowledge in the medical field but also with some information technology skills enabling them to be able to operate these mobile applications gadgets. Furthermore, IPhone will lessen the work of the doctors for they will be able to process the important information which will assist the patients and clients especially the outpatients. This can be done as the doctors and other professionals print the data in the IPhone thus making it available for the clients who might be suffering from any form of sickness or any one just interested for any kind of medical information. Consequently, the doctors and the student would not have to carry and buy huge expensive books for they can be able to install and download the same kind of information from the IPhone. These gradual changes will be able to bring changes in the health care for many patients will be attended to by professionals using mobile knowledge. Therefore, the knowledge will not only be perceptible in the healthcare institutions but also in the local areas and also the communities where humanity dwells. This is because using the IPhone the medical professionals will be able to refer their patients in the websites which will improve their health and change their lifestyle for healthy and disease free life. Why is the iPhone important? Research conducted in the year 2002 has shown a lot of people from all calibers especially in America can afford a smartphone and they can be able to access internet. This in itself suggests the importance of incorporating the smartphone (iPhone) technology in the healthcare system. Previously, I had mentioned that it is versatile and ubiquitous tool which can be used for any desired task. For this main reason the smartphone being available to numerous numbers of people can pave a way for the clients and patients to use it for monitoring and informing themselves about their health. (Morgan et al, 2012) Doctors too can use it to monitor the progress and the condition of their patients using minimal knowledge and effort. IPhone is an easily accessible device and so it does not need so much time to learn how to operate it. This gives the doctors and the patients an added advantage when it comes to processing the desired prescription. IPhone too can be manipulated to provide relevant details for a particular purpose especially for the elderly patients. In addition, many people can afford this device which makes it even more suitable for both doctors and their patients. This is because it is thus readily available to cater even for the out patients from all corners in country. IPhone benefits for the qualified doctors and their patients Doctors play significant role in the whole of humanity. For this reason they need to update themselves at all times. It is clear that the cosmos is changing in a very diverse manner and thus causing new kind of sicknesses to stem out which causes so much suffering to many people. However, as already qualified doctors it is not so easy to keep on reading journals, articles and medical research papers all the time due to the work schedule. Therefore, by using gadgets like the IPhone it will be so easy to familiarize with the signs and symptoms of certain kinds of diseases as they emerge at any given time. More importantly, they will be able to read the research conducted by other gurus concerning these diseases. However, use of IPhone as a medical application is still at its early stage as we speak. One of the reasons is that many Medical applications gadgets are still not yet known. This creates no opportunity for the physicians and medical professionals to learn except by the word of mouth which seems not to be so reliable at the present age. More importantly, doctors will be able to attend to as many patients as possible and communicate with them effectively. They will also be able to monitor them without being physically available. Using the IPhone can also help in the reduction of cost for both the patient and the service provider. This will be possible because the doctors will be able to manage the patients’ health condition by just informing the patient on how to use the IPhone to process the relevant information as well as provide the medicine prescription at a distance. For this reason both the patient and the service provider will only make view trips to see the doctor and vice versa. However, this is not an alternative for lowering the treatment expensiveness. How to implement IPhone and other medical applications Medical applications provide the professionals with a portable data. Therefore, it is very essential to build try epic medical applications. This means that it is important to combine the ideas of medical applications with entertainment. For instance, the iPhone’s feature musical whistle applications which is used to test the way the lungs are functioning and also the Microsoft kinetic games are identified by the physical therapists which can be used by the patients for rehab exercises. As a result, it can be said that entertainment is a tool, an application and a mobile device inclusively. This can be eluded from the fact that the brain progression tool as a transitory body part, driven by data and telemedicine applications it helps the medical professionals to be more or less well-informed as well as ubiquitous. Therefore, IPhones as a medical application will move from the stage of being an information retrieval to an extension of becoming the doctors eyes and hands thus prompting and supporting the workflow. Concerns of health care application Research has shown that some patients may fail to process the right information from their devices and thus use the wrong prescription for their specific sicknesses. For this reason any medical application prescribed by the doctors to their clients should be vetted thus ensuring that all the claims made are accurate and helpful. In addition, it is important to vet these health care applications to ensure that the application works to produce the desired outcome. (Xing et al, 2011) Furthermore, patients’ information is being communicated using the devices available even to hackers who can be able to process these important communications. As a result, the privacy and security of the patient is at risk. Therefore, the doctors are not very keen in prescribing these iPhones or any other medical application for at times it is very difficult to distinguish between the good ones and the bad ones. In addition, there are some people who have a habit of stealing the iPhones from others. This can make it so uncomfortable for the patient if he/she has saved the doctor’s prescription in this device. In fact, if the disease is so sensitive it can create so much tension to the patient thus increasing the risks of his/her health. How can the doctors effectively use the iPhone as medical applications for their patient? Many doctors are now using the iPhone as a medical application and they are comfortable with the new technology. It is because among the numerous medical applications available the smart phone as a portable device is suitable for both doctors and patients. Both can be able to use iPhone to their advantage for the doctor will be able to assist the patient to learn how to operate this gadget to process the relevant information. Additionally, the patient can be able to send a trusted person who is well equipped in using the iPhone to converse with the doctor and in return be of great use to the patient. Furthermore, the doctors who are able to use the iPhones perfectly can be able to teach their patients how to install privacy features in case of loss. Moreover, the doctors can be able to prescribe only the useful website to their client. It is well known that not all information found in the iPhone is accurate and relevant. For this reason the doctor should tell the patient to avoid such sites. Just to mention but a view Wikipedia, though updated severally has been known to have irrelevant and misleading information. It is therefore, the doctors’ responsibility to ensure that the patients are using the iPhone for the best of their health. This will reduce the risk of misinterpretation and confusion which may arise if the patient is fed with so much irrelevant information which will distract his/her normalcy. (Salz et al, 2013) Medical iPhone applications for physicians and medical students There are many medical iPhone applications for the students and the physicians. These applications assist the doctors in many different ways for they are designed to lessen their workload. This means they use them for different purposes and it is even quicker to access the information they need at a particular time. These include, Anesthesiology, calculators, cardiology, dentists, dermatology, drug reference, EKG/ECG, EMS, Eye care, flashcards, and nursing among others. These are designed and incorporated in an iPhone as Informed RN Pocket Guide, nursing central and nurse Tabs among others. The Informed RN pocket Guide accesses the critical information needed by the nurses. It is an application which is very easy to use and it is very rich in content, well detailed illustrations and it has innovative topographies. It also contains crucial updated assessment information which are of much use to the cardiovascular, neurological, pediatric, respiratory, health topics and mental information among others. The nursing central section assists the nurses and the nursing students to have access to significant information. Such information is mostly on tests, drugs, diseases and prescriptions among others. Therefore, if a nurse is faced with any question she will be able to consult this current application and get the desired help. The nursing Tab is also a very highly rated application specifically designed for the nursing students. It permeates the qualified nurses and the student nurses to explore provided information on the common diseases, body disorders and other body systems with all the information and explanations. It also contains the findings of the assessment in connection to these diseases. In addition, there is also an incorporation of nursing diagnoses and complications for the nurses which facilitates consistent evaluation and assessment associated with the common disorders and diseases. (Trautschold, 2009) There exists an application contains a section of Anesthesia which contains the Physician Board Review questions and answer. Hence with an iPhone the professionals can be able to get at least one hundred questions and answers with good explanations as well as the references. As a result, the students, nurses, and all in the medical field can be able to prepare and compile recertification, Board certifications as well as the USMLE without any hardship. The iPhone is designed for the incorporation of a free MedCalc application which is a medical calculator. This gives access to varieties for medical formulas and scores with a comprehensive info and bibliographic references for every formula. Additionally, the IPhone has Mediations Medical Calculator which includes numerous formulas and scoring tools.it also provides a supporting system for the US and SI units, grants references, exhaustive information and PubMed links for all the scoring tools. Moreover, there is a Drug Infusion namely as the IV Med Drip Rate Infusion Calculator specifically designed for the ICU nurses or those who provides the anesthesia. This enables these service providers with an accurate calculation of dose, good concentration of the IV rate, and offers weight based and the non-weight based calculations. This calculation has a conversion unit thus easing the services providers work even further.(Mukhopadhyay, 2013) There also is a mobile medical application for dentists which provide them with two essential things. These include Little Dental Drug Book which is an application from the Lex-Comp which offers a fast reference reserve for all the medications which are mostly used in the dental practices. This detailed information contains the practical suggestion compiled by the dental professionals and most guidelines especially on the writings for prescription and requirements for these prescriptions. There is also a Lexi- Dental Complete which is premeditated for the dentists and the dental students. This application offers access to Lexi-Comp fully sourced library of dental reserve. Thus it contains very broad clinical information which is crucial for quick treatment and analysis. These information covers a full pharmacology database, anesthetic and vasoconstrictor precaution, colored photographs and images among others. (Levitus et al, 2009) In Dermatology this is specifically for the medical learners with an application featuring numerous multiple choice questions which assists them to learn dermatology and be able to comfortably prepare for an exam. These questions with short explanations on answers have real life based cases and are divided in different sections. The application is also capable of tracking down the students score for every section thus enabling him/her in the determination of the areas which requires more research and studies. In addition, it has a pocket Derma which purifies the dermatological field especially in common skin findings which even helps those who have not specialized in the dermatology to be able to diagnose dermatologic conditions without even referring or consultations. Some of these fundamental features include the dermatologic diagnoses full of definitions, photographs, glossaries of important terms and the research by the diagnosis. (Biersdorfer, 2010) Drug Reference: these are designed for the iPhone thus acting as a medical application which is reliable for the pharmacologists, and other professions in the medical field. Such features include the Epocrates, Micromedex Drug Information and Lexi-Drugs and Lexi interact. Epocrates is the most used medical application which incorporates the mobile drug reference resource providing clinical information on so many prescriptions and the OTC drug products. It also has a pill identifier, detailed formulae information, drug interaction checker and numerous calculations. In addition, the Micromedex Drug Information contains drug information on so many search terms. These search terms include the common trade names, adult and pediatric dosages, precautions, generic terms, toxicology and adverse effects. Furthermore, the Lexi-Drug and Lexi Interact designed for the iPhone is a comprehensive drug database. It has content for the patient populations and the clinical specialists and it incorporates medicine for internal use, geriatrics, psychiatry and oncology among others. It is able to monitor the FDA, industries in Pharmaceutical and any other clinical literature. This helps in developing on time and accurate information for the health service providers. (Faas et al, 2009) Conclusion In conclusion, is perceptible that mobile medical Applications are very essential in the current society. This is because these applications medical applications are a source of comprehensive information for the professionals in the medical field, medical students as well as the patients and those interested in familiarizing with the medical terms and body disorders. Therefore, it is possible to confidently conclude that the Healthcare/ Medical Mobile Applications has brought and will still continue to bring tremendous change in the medical field. Referring to the IPhone as a healthcare mobile application it has a very significant role for it is portable, reliable and affordable. In addition, it is divided in many readable sections which give the service providers with accurate information in the desired cases. For this reason and iPhone is not only bringing change in the practical health field but also the theory part of it. In essence, the medical students are capable of processing the readily available information in the IPhone for their research, exam, and practical as they go for their attachment. Hence, it is very essential for each person to be able to use an IPhone for in the near future it will become a vital necessity for all humanity. Medical mobile applications such as IPhone have incorporated accurate information needed in different medical fields. However, it is important to note that just acquiring an IPhone does not give each person in the medical field a guarantee of processing the accurate information. This is because there some hackers who can get hold patients information and hence use it for ill- will reasons. Therefore, it is essential for the doctors and other IT professionals to take the responsibilities of teaching basic techniques on how to privacy the iPhones. Works cited Biersdorfer, J D, and Josh Clark. Best Iphone Applications: The Guide for Discriminating Downloaders. Beijing: O'Reilly, 2010. Internet resource. Chen, Brian X. Always on: How the Iphone Unlocked the Anything - Anytime - Anywhere Future-and Locked Us in. Cambridge, Mass: Da Capo Press, 2011. Internet resource. Emam, Khaled E. Risky Business: Sharing Health Data While Protecting Privacy. S.l.: Trafford On Demand Pub, 2013. Print. 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