More Medical Apps for the iPhone

In last week's New York Times, technology writer David Pogue discussed some of his favorite applications for the iPhone / iPod Touch including applications for patients and doctors. His list included some known favorites like ePocrates, but also had some new suggestions that hint at what the future might hold, such as AirStrip OB, which allows an OB to monitor a fetal heartbeat from across the hospital and OsiriX, a medical image viewer.

Do you have favorites not on this list? Let us know by commenting or emailing us at mclref[at]mc.duke.edu.

Get Text Updates on H1N1

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) just launched an H1N1 flu mobile texting pilot!

You may sign up now to have CDC information about H1N1 flu and other topics delivered directly to your mobile phone!

In September 2009, CDC launched a three-month text messaging campaign pilot to share important, timely health information directly to users.

To subscribe to the pilot, text HEALTH to 87000.

Subscribers can expect to receive about three health messages a week during the three-month pilot. Standard text messaging rates will apply. For more information about the pilot, visit http://www.cdc.gov/mobile.

Tech Time with Dr. Adams

Can it be that we've reached the convergence of handheld devices - my pager, phone, email, and web access? And, what's happened to "voice over IP?"

Are interns really getting smartphones?

Recent hearsay from med students who are interviewing for internships is that several institutions are handing out smartphones to interns - Harvard, Columbia, and Penn, the Treo, iPhone, and Blackberry. Is this really true?

Testimonial
Personally I own a Blackberry Pearl and I'm very satisfied because of the physical keyboard. But, I also carry an iPod Touch in my opposite pocket because the Apple apps are just too tempting. Not to mention, ePocrates Essentials, the drug look-up, is now available for Touch and iPhone and Duke gives me free access to the ePocrates upgrade. The smartphone supports my personal space/workflow - I can forward my pager to the phone, check my email and look up something on the fly via the web browser.

Quick Reads
Both major financial newspapers have reputable resources for quick reviews of personal technology, including videos:

• WSJ, Walt Mossberg
  http://online.wsj.com/


• NYT, David Pogue and Matt Richtell
  http://www.nytimes.com/

Here I am, first time in the blogosphere myself. Will I regret?
~Martha Adams, MD