Doctors click iphones to diagnose patients

Cell phones are being used for more than just talking.
Doctors are now using iPhones to help diagnose patients. But is the practice safe?
Nbc 6 reporter Karen Hopkins found why doctors say this technology can improve your medical care.


When you walk in to see your doctor, don't be offended if he pulls out a cell phone. Apple reports 70 percent of doctors use iPhones. The handheld is part of your treatment, with more than 1,500 medical applications. “It's really good to look on there. I'm a new patient and if he's not familiar with me he can look in just one second," Red River parish resident Jack Huckabee says.

With just a click, Dr. Steen Trawick checks drug interactions, making sure the medicine he prescribes won't harm the patient. “We've always had information in books to cross check but that would take forever."
If you call your doctor in pain, Trawick says some physicians can access your medical history right away, in their pocket. “I can click patient on the phone and pull of a lab chest x-ray." If a phone gets into the wrong hands, Trawick says patients’ personal information is always protected by password.

“I think the reason this has exploded in the last few years is because the iPhone has become a ubiquitous tool." Dr. Mark Platt speaks at national Apple conventions about how doctors incorporate iPhones.

As the Asst. Dean of Students at LSU medical school in Shreveport, he's bringing the technology to the classroom, with interactive anatomy diagrams and video lectures.

Lsu physician assistant student Shannon Spaw uses her handheld as a reference to diagnose patients.
She compares healthy and abnormal images. “Having a reference to bring graphical images and written text to be sure of their decision is clearly going to save lives,” Platt says.

Platt says Lsu medical school in Shreveport is researching new iphone applications to incorporate into the curriculum for medical students next fall.