See you in San Diego for the 2nd International mHealth Networking Conference

I'm presenting at the 2nd International mHealth Networking Conference in San Diego on Sept 8-9. My presentation is titled, "Technology and Medicine: Mobile Applications and Clinical Outcomes."

If you'd like to hear my presentation, make sure to catch me on Thurs, Sept 9 at 10 am.  Here's some general information about the conference:  http://www.mobih.org

2nd International mHealth Networking Conference
September 8-9, 2010
Town & Country Resort Hotel
San Diego CA

Click here to view the program and I look forward to seeing you at the mHealth Networking Conference!

Have you tried the BlackBerry Torch 9800?

I think the BlackBerry Torch 9800 may be the best BlackBerry smartphone yet. I've used the Bold, the Storm, and many other BlackBerry devices. The Torch combines the best of both worlds: a touch screen with a hardware QWERTY keyboard. I'm not sure why they chose the vertical slider orientation as opposed to the horizontal slider. Maybe they felt that the majority of their users would prefer the vertical orientation.

Personally, I'm a big fan of the vertical slider. Why? You can type you're holding the device in one hand. All you need is a single thumb that can move across that QWERTY keyboard. You can try that on a horizontal slider, but you'll have some difficulty balancing that phone if you're only using one hand.

If you're a former Palm Treo user, the BlackBerry Torch 9800 could remind you of the old Treo (except the Treo wasn't a slider). 

It's too bad that the Torch is only available on AT&T.

Using SMS to remind heart transplant patients to take their meds

According to this story on MobiHealthNews, the Pediatric Heart Transplant Program at NewYork-Presbyterian/Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital is using CareSpeak Communications to boost medication adherence in teenage patients who undergo a heart transplant. Medication adherence in critical in this population because you can't afford to risk organ rejection by missing doses of your meds.

These SMS reminders aren't simple one-way reminders. Patients will need to reply back, indicating that they've taken their pills. If they don't reply, then text messages will get sent to family members who will make sure that their teen takes the pills.

CareSpeak Communications develops wireless communications technologies for the institutional and consumer healthcare markets. Our main goal is to ensure that our products / services are efficacious, easy to use and affordable for the end user whether it is a patient, caregiver and/or health care professional.

Here's a video that shows you CareSpeak in action:

Apple releases new iPods (iPod touch, nano, shuffle.)

It's not a surprise that the new iPod touch finally includes a camera (and in this case, two cameras so that you can participate in FaceTime). It's a real shame that the iPod touch does NOT include a GPS. I think that would make this blockbuster gadget even better. Well, I have an older version of the iPod touch and I use it all the time to play with iOS 4.

The new iPod touch also features the Retina Display, HD video recording and editing, Voice Control, and the great features found in iOS 4, including multitasking.

Sutter Health using iTriage

Sutter Health is using iTriage (by Healthagen) for its patients. They're allowing patients to use this smartphone app to access information about the Sutter Health network of hospitals.

Users will also have access to:

* 300 symptoms, 1,000 diseases and 350 medical procedures
* A database listing every doctor, hospital, urgent care clinic, retail clinic and pharmacy in the nation
* Ability to check symptoms, browse causes, view detailed descriptions and research remedies
* Turn-by-turn directions to trusted health care providers in any community nationwide

You can read more about this story on Healthcare IT News.

Interested in using iTriage? You don't need to belong to the Sutter Health network to use the iTriage app. Learn more about iTriage here.

Slider vs. Slate?

If you've had several different smartphones over the years, perhaps you've owned a slider (slide-out QWERTY keyboard) and a thin slate that only offers an on-screen keyboard. We're seeing fewer candybar designs like the Palm Treo or BlackBerry that includes a smaller screen combined with a small QWERTY keyboard on the bottom.

So, slider vs. slate? If you're a Verizon customer and you're thinking about getting an Android smartphone, that decision could boil down to:

Slider: Droid 2
Slate: Droid X or Droid Incredible

If you do a significant amount of typing on your device, then it's imperative that you test the keyboard on each of the devices and physically try them out. Before I picked up the Droid 2, I thought I'd be relatively happy with the QWERTY keyboard. After playing with it for 5 minutes, I realized that I'd probably end up using the on-screen keyboard over the physical QWERTY buttons. So, if that's going to be the case, then why should I get a slider?

The large on-screen buttons on the Droid X are easy to use because the screen is so large. The Droid X is larger (wider and taller) than the Droid 2, but it's actually lighter.  5.47 ounces for the Droid X vs. 5.96 ounces for the Droid 2.

Last day to get Epocrates Essentials for free

If you're a U.S. medical student, you can get Epocrates Essentials for free. That's right, FREE! But, today is the last day for this promotion. To learn more, visit:

http://www.epocrates.com/ma/FreeforMedicalStudents2010/

Lexi-Comp discount for medical students

AMSA (American Medical Student Association) has partnered with Lexi-Comp - a leading provider of medication information and clinical content for the healthcare industry - to provide medical students with the most up-to-date and unbiased drug information on the market for a fraction of the price. Free from pharmaceutical influence, Lexi-Comp's content gives you access to the objective medical reference material you need when you need it.

AMSA Member Packages

Take advantage of huge savings when you purchase any of Lexi-Comp's three discounted AMSA member packages:

• Lexi-COMPLETE™
• Lexi-CLINICAL SUITE™
• Lexi-Drugs® & Lexi-Interact™

Read more »

Windows Phone 7 - questions and predictions

The buzz around Windows Phone 7 is starting to grow again because developer tools are getting released next month. Given that older Windows Mobile apps won't be compatible with Windows Phone 7, we're going to be starting from Ground Zero with this brand new smartphone OS. How many medical apps will be available on the Windows Marketplace when Windows Phone 7 launches? 

Will Microsoft develop Windows Phone 7 to be a smartphone OS that will drive consumers to switch from their existing platforms? Will Windows Phone 7 be a welcome upgrade for existing Windows Mobile users? Or, will it feel like an entirely new OS? What type of support will be provided for legacy Windows Mobile apps? What will Microsoft do to gain (or regain) momentum in the smartphone market?

Other smartphone systems like Android, BlackBerry, or webOS are now being loaded on slate tablets. I'm sure Microsoft will do the same and we'll end up seeing some Windows Phone 7 slate tablets out there competing against the iPad, BlackPad, PalmPad, AndroidPad, etc. Maybe this is where Microsoft could gain a significant advantage over other tablets. Given that so many people are running Microsoft Windows at home and/or work, it would make a lot of sense to have a mobile device that seamlessly integrates with Windows Live, Mesh, etc. This integration may start with a smartphone, but it will probably be more useful if it's available on a slate tablet. So, instead of grabbing users through the phone, Microsoft may aim to grab users through the slate. Then, those slate users will want Windows Phone 7 running on their smartphones too.

SurgAware

Here's another interesting medical app: SurgAware

We at SurgAware know that deciding to have an operation can be difficult. Whenever possible, a patient needs to know all the details – the reason for the operation, the alternatives to surgery, the consequences of not having the operation, and all the things that can potentially go wrong.

In most cases, the benefits of surgery should be higher than the risks of surgery or the risks of not having an operation. For a doctor, the risks of surgery are generally the things that are most difficult to talk about. Add to that that 70% of what is said in a doctor’s consulting room is forgotten within 24 hours....and many patients remain unaware of the risks that influence these decisions.

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