Mobile apps are on the rise for doctors. Being able to have a device and program that can provide good information at Point of Care is priceless. This should be a driving force for marketers to tap this opportunity.
Below is a brief list of potential applications on the iPhone for doctors. Some have already been announced for the iPhone, are available on other platforms, or are currently in development.
- Drug database
- Anatomical atlas
- Medical calculator
- Interface for electronic health record
- Viewer of radiologic images
- Interface for laboratory results
- An expert system to help with differential diagnoses
- Messaging system for laboratory alerts and hospital pages
- Interface for medical devices (like ultrasounds and EKG machines)
- Dictation recorder
- Device for electronic prescribing
- Device for directly receiving and reading medical journals and podcasts
- Medical book reader
- Reminder system for patient visits and meetings synced remotely with the office through Mobile Me
- Display for patient education videos
- Medical simulator (ACLS, for example)
- Telemedicine device (pending the eventual release of iChat and a videoconferencing system)
- Interface for medical literature searches (Pubmed, Google Scholar)
- Word processing device for papers (I’m still waiting for a bluetooth keyboard)
- Communication device for hospital teams (Using Twitter or another system)
- Secure system for messaging/emailing patients
- CME course viewer (with text and/or video)