iPhone 5 to include larger screen and 4G speeds?

There are many iPhone 5 rumors floating out there. Some are reporting that Sprint will finally get the coveted Apple iPhone. Others seem to agree that the iPhone needs to have a larger screen to compete against all those Droids out there. And, we all know that 4G wireless will bring data connection speeds that are far superior to 3G.

The larger screen and 4G makes sense to me. You'll need a slightly larger device with a bigger battery to keep up with the demands of 4G. The iPhone 5 will be thinner than the iPhone 4 and will include a "teardrop" shape where the top will be thicker than the bottom.

There are 3 features we probably won't see on the iPhone 5: We have yet to see Apple create a mobile device that includes an expansion card slot like microSD. So, I doubt we'll see any expansion capabilities in the new iPhone 5. I also don't think we'll see a removable battery. Plus, I doubt we'll see a hardware keyboard feature on the iPhone 5.

Will the iPhone 5 include some other game-changing feature? I doubt it. I think it will be a larger, faster iPhone that will satisfy many Apple fans and will also win over some new Android, BlackBerry, webOS, and Windows Phone users. Then again, the Apple's "Assistant" voice control functionality might be the feature that converts the masses to the new iPhone 5. After all, wouldn't it be great if you could "speak" commands right into your phone instead of swiping or tapping the screen? This type of voice-command is right around the corner and it looks to be coming on the iPhone 5.

Calculate (Medical Calculator) by QxMD updated

Calculate (Medical Calculator) by QxMD for iPhone has been updated.

1. Management of Peritoneal Dialysis

As the US government struggles to fund health care at current levels, more attention is being paid to the cost of dialysis services. Home peritoneal dialysis (PD) is recognized as an alternative to hemodialysis that provides excellent patient outcomes, promotes patient independence and does so at remarkably lower costs than hemodialysis. It has recently been estimated that US dialysis expenditures could be cut by >$1 Billion over 5 years simply by increasing the percentage of dialysis patients receiving PD from 8% to 15%.

As the trend to support home peritoneal dialysis continues, physicians and other health care providers will need point-of-care educational resources to support their practice.

The updated version of 'Calculate by QxMD' provides a robust module to support peritoneal dialysis practice. Content includes:

• Access Care and Complications Manual including detailed content on management of PD catethers and infectious peritonitis
• PD Prescription Guide with calculator to assist in determining the PD prescription and extensive manual to learn principles behind PD dose, adequacy and modelling.
• Rapid Access to Clinical Practice Guidelines including CSN PD Adequacy Guidelines and Recommendations 2011, ISPD PD-Related Infections Recommendations 2010 and ISPD Guidelines for Peritoneal Access
• Quick Assessment of PD Candidacy using the MATCH-D tool

UpToDate® for iPhone® now available

UpToDate for iPhone is now available in the United States.

This new App, which you can download FREE from the App Store or through iTunes®, allows individual subscribers to access UpToDate content quickly and easily on an iPhone, iPod® touch or iPad® over Wifi or a 3G connection.

The offline version of UpToDate for iPhone (content will reside entirely on your device) is coming soon. The current version is not optimized for the large screen of an iPad, but that's coming soon as well.

So, when's the Android version of UpToDate coming?

Genentech’s BioOncology app (iPhone and iPad)

Genentech’s BioOncology iPad application provides all health care professionals with free access to the latest oncology news, resources and innovation.

Key features include:
-Research: Learn more about Genentech’s innovative compounds designed to target cancer through specific molecular processes
-Clinical Trials: Find Genentech and non-Genentech clinical trials based on tumor type, and access details including de¬sign summary, outcome measures and protocol entry criteria
-News: Read up-to-date oncology news from Reuters
-Useful Links: Access associations & societies, medical databases, and Genentech support services
-Conferences: Search for popular oncology-related U.S. and international conferences
-Grants, Contributions, and Fellowships: Link to a wide range of Genentech-sponsored opportunities for organizations as well as individuals
-Polls: Participate in oncology-related polls and view live results

Learn more here.

ResolutionMD Mobile featured on CNN

There's a feature story on CNN titled, "Mobile app helps doctors diagnose strokes."

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• A smartphone app allows specialists to accurately diagnose a stroke, a study says
• Doctors reach the same diagnosis using phone as when on a terminal in 94% of trials
• Experts have been skeptical about the utility of using such a small screen
• The FDA is currently deliberating on whether to approve the app for U.S. use

Read the full story here.

75% of U.S. physicians own an iPhone, iPad, or iPod

75% of U.S. Physicians Own Some Form of Apple Device According to New Manhattan Research Study

New Taking the Pulse® U.S. v11.0 study of physician digital trends indicates iPhone and iPad driving steep mobile device adoption in the U.S. physician market

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 4, 2011 - 75% of U.S. physicians own some form of Apple device, such as an iPhone, iPad or iPod, according to the new Taking the Pulse® U.S. v11.0 study from pharmaceutical and healthcare market research company Manhattan Research. This year's study of physician digital adoption trends includes a focus on the iPad and other tablets, professional activities across multiple screens, electronic health records and online patient-physician communication.

The iPhone surged to dominate the physician smartphone market in 2011 as the number one smartphone platform used by physicians in the U.S. “Despite the success of the Android platform in the overall consumer market, physicians are flocking to the iPhone as their smartphone of choice,” said Meredith Ressi, president of Manhattan Research. Smartphone penetration among physicians exceeded Manhattan Research analysts' previous forecasts to reach 81% this year.

White iPhone 4--It's real?

Author: Riley Alexander, MD, MBA

The white iPhone 4 has been something of a running joke ever since it was announced last June that it would release alongside the standard black iPhone 4. Well, almost 10 months later, it looks like it's finally going to arrive...or may actually already have in some places.

Now, the most important part of this announcement is that it seems to confirm the rumors circulating over the last couple of weeks that the iPhone 5 will not make it's usual June unveiling and will be pushed back to September. If Apple was actually set to unveil the iPhone 5 at WWDC in June, it is very unlikely they would even go to the trouble to release the white iPhone 4. They don't really want anymore negativity associated with the white iPhone 4.

Apple iPhone 5 may be coming this September

There are a number of rumors that the Apple iPhone 5 may be coming this September. What will this new iPhone have? A new design? Faster processor? Larger screen? Improved antenna? Higher-resolution camera? Longer battery life?

Apple Sues Samsung

Apple is suing Samsung saying that they copied the iPad, iPod and iPhone with its Galaxy Tab and Galaxy handsets.

Apple's lawsuit, filed Friday in the U.S. District Court of Northern California, alleges that Samsung copied the look, product design, packaging and user interface of its products, violating its patents and trademarks.

Read more here.

Medscape App for iPhone® and iPod® touch: March 2011 updates

Medscape App for iPhone® and iPod® touch gets updated March 2011

Tables & Protocols Updates >
Now 100+ widely-used tables & protocols

21 new tables added, including:
• NIH Stroke Scale, Karnofsky Performance Status Scale, Modified Rankin Scale, Glasgow Coma Scale, and more.

10 new infectious disease treatment tables added, including:
• Empiric and organism-specific therapy for influenza, bacterial meningitis, pericarditis, and more.

IDdx: Infectious Disease Queries for iPhone

IDdx is a decision support software tool developed by the author of OutbreakID, Dr. Jay Brown. This software is designed to help medical practitioners access information and improve the diagnosis of infectious diseases. The advantage of IDdx mobile software over a book is that it was built for queries. Users can find specific information by using the disease search criteria. The user can see all the symptoms associated with a disease or see all the diseases associated with a symptom.

* Explore the database of 275 diseases in 15 categories.
* Search by Disease Name or Disease Criteria.
* Disease criteria include 99 signs & symptoms, 39 epidemiological factors, and 16 regions of the world.
* Examples of epidemiological factors are ingest (entry), soil (source), ticks (vector), and cats (reservoir).
* Access diseases worldwide or limit the search to those endemic to the United States.
* Drill down to all infections associated with compromised hosts or bioterrorism.
* Filter the database for infections tagged as acute-severe, acute-moderate, or subacute/chronic.

Learn more here.

A new iPhone medical peripheral spotted - the DermScope

Author: Thuc Huynh, MD

We've seen iPhone blood pressure cuffs, glucometers, and EKG devices.  So it's really no surprise that more portable medical devices are surfacing.  Now we have a new device to get excited about.

The DermScope was just added to the iTunes medical apps directory.  It's an external iphone case that has a dermatoscope embedded into the case.  Essentially, you slip your iphone into the case and it transforms your iphone into a magnifying glass for moles and other skin lesions.  You can capture images, store them, organize them by patient, and email images directly from the application.

So far, the app costs 9.99 in the iTunes store.  No word on how much the hardware will cost.  There is currently an international iphone dermatoscope retailing for $1500 dollars.  But it would be a bad idea to price it that high in the US considering that the other iphone medical peripherals are only around $100 dollars.

We'll update this post when we find out more information.  What do you think will be the next iphone medical device?

Author:

Dr. Thuc Huynh is CEO of ScrubdIN, a startup company that aims to help health professionals choose their next medical app.  Her main interest lies around how medicine can play a role with web 2.0 and social media.  Dr. Huynh is currently Chief Resident at her Family Medicine Residency in Rapid City, SD and received her B.S. and M.D. at the Medical University of the Americas.

American Board of Family Medicine updates the iPhone Exam Prep app

Author: Thuc Huynh, MD

The ABFM just released a new update for its free Exam Prep app.  The app is a good, supplemental, portable study tool for physicians preparing for Board Certification in Family Medicine.  Medical students and residents may find use in these interesting questions as well.

The latest update adds 200 additional questions to the Q-Bank as well as a blueprint that outlines all of the content covered in the exam.

Other features of the app remain the same and include :

• Practice Quizzes with clear answers
• Exam Prep documents and videos
• Upcoming exam dates
• Links to the ABFM website
• Links to the Journal of ABFM 

Using the practice quizzes will not require an internet connection but accessing the videos and exam dates will.

If you're preparing for the Family Medicine Boards or if you just want to test your general clinical knowledge, try this app for free.

Listen to Heart Sounds with Your iPhone!

Author: Brittany Chan

There's been tremendous hype about the new blood pressure cuff for iPhone. What if you could also use your iPhone to listen for abdominal gurgles, wheezes, or even the heartbeat of your unborn child?

The iStethoscope Expert app makes this possible, and best of all, it's free! You can use your device's microphone to listen for heart, lung, and bowel sounds. The app has a built-in noise canceler that will help amplify the sound of interest. If your device does not have a microphone, or if you'd simply like to enhance the sound, you may purchase the CardioTech electronic stethoscope peripheral by Zetris for $24.99.

Notable features of this app include:
- Guides to heart, lung, and bowel sounds, including phonocardiograms, audio demonstrations and text explanations.
- Sound interpreters that help determine the underlying pathology of an abnormal sound.
- Stethoscope sound library including over 60 sounds.
- Hear fetal heart sounds at 20 weeks.
- Record, send, and save sounds for review.

Voalté’s iPhone-based Solution Speeds Clinical Communication at Texas Children’s Hospital

Texas Children’s Hospital becomes first pediatric hospital in the nation to harness Voalté at the point of care

SARASOTA, Fla. January 18, 2011 – Voalté announced today that Texas Children’s Hospital will become the first pediatric facility in the country and the first hospital in Texas to use iPhones with Voalté’s innovative solution for point-of-care communication. The hospital will roll out iPhones in the new West Campus facility and maternity center over the next few months.

The Voalté application consolidates voice, alarm and text on the versatile iPhone platform. Nurses and clinicians at Texas Children’s Hospital will be able to send and receive presence-based text messages, make high definition voice calls across the hospital VoIP system, and receive critical care alarms on the iPhone, providing faster response to patient needs.

WellComm Releases App-Based Open System Enabling SmartPhone Connectivity to Digital Health and Wellness Resources

WellComm provides the first gateway of connectivity, communication and data sharing with thousands of previously siloed health and wellness apps, as well as, the essential conduit to personal electronic health record systems. WellComm makes real the promise of mHealth by establishing an open mHealth framework that provides the Key of connectivity & functionality for app-to-app communication to and with, existing flexible electronic record programs such as OpenMRS and Google Health.

San Diego, CA, Jan 12, 2011 - WellComm™ is an open system of components that transforms the SmartPhone into a personal health and wellness hub. The hub begins with the WellComm Application (“app”) placed on an individual’s iPhone, iPad, or other device. This app serves as the individual’s personal health and wellness dashboard. The WellComm dashboard contains, manages and connects personally identified health and wellness apps & resources for the individual.

The WellComm App, released at no cost, is a paradigm changing, gateway app. WellComm’s innovation is that it works with ALL existing resources. Its open architecture connects the patchwork of incompatible apps with other apps and with electronic and personal health records (HER and PHRs). The WellComm system does not force the replacement or change of existing systems or technology, but instead enables these disparate, siloed systems & resources to work together. WellComm can be used by Healthcare Professionals, Caregivers, Researchers and Individuals to advance and extend health and wellness.

American Diversified Holdings Signs Software Development Agreement to Create mHealth Applications for Apple Computer Handheld Devices

DEL MAR, Calif., Dec. 21, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ernest B. Remo, Chairman/CEO, announced today that American Diversified Holdings (Pink Sheets:ADHC) has signed a software development agreement with Com-Guard, Inc., a San Diego based technology firm, to create a mobile application platform in the mHealth arena specifically designed for the Apple® iPhone™, iPod Touch ™, iPad™ and other mobile platforms including the Android™ platform developed by Google.

"We are collaborating with researchers that have established quick and easy screening tools which can reveal changes in older adults' basic mental abilities over time. These test are completed by an "informant" close to the patient and can lead to identifying early stage dementia. Early diagnosis is key to treating degenerative diseases. Many patients are not diagnosed until the symptoms become so severe they are unable to perform daily living tasks. Offering these screening tests over a mobile handheld application is a perfect use of mHealth technology that can actually work to improve the quality of health care, reducing costs and benefiting patients," commented Ernest Remo, CEO of ADHC.

A discussion about iPhone vs. Android

The other night, I was at a party and I was talking with several people about Apple's iPhone vs. Google's Android. It's really a discussion between iOS vs. Android, but given that Apple's iPhone is the only smartphone running iOS, we're really talking about both the operating system and the hardware when we're talking about the iPhone.

Here are a few reasons why Android will be the most popular smartphone operating system in the near future:

• Android is currently available on every major wireless network. Although the iPhone is coming to Verizon in 2011, will it also come to T-Mobile or all the other wireless carriers?
• We're seeing a wide range of Android smartphones ranging from free phones to expensive smartphones. Yes, Apple is offering their older iPhone models for less (or free refurbished), but who wants to buy an "outdated" model or a refurbished smartphone?
• We have many major smartphone manufacturers who are developing smartphones running Android. This means that we'll have a wider selection of hardware features if you're shopping for an Android smartphone. Will Apple diversify the iPhone lineup and create models with QWERTY keyboards that slide out?

Let's face it: most of us will be upgrading smartphones every 1.5 to 2.5 years. How much do you really want to spend if you're only going to have that smartphone for 1.5 to 2.5 years? With Android, you have a wide range of models that range less than $50 to over $200. Sometimes I wonder whether we're comparing smartphone features: iPhone vs. Android, or whether we're comparing companies: Google vs. Apple?

Mobile MerckMedicus for the iPhone

Mobile MerckMedicus, which gives you 24/7 access to clinical resources, helpful tools, and medical content wherever you go, is now available for download at the Apple iTunes Store.

MerckMedicus is an advertising-free medical portal designed specifically for U.S. healthcare providers. MerckMedicus provides breaking medical news, a wide variety of scientific learning resources, and cutting-edge diagnostic tools, all with no access fees. Merck launched MerckMedicus in 2001 as part of its century-long commitment to providing unbiased health information as a public service to consumers and health care professionals, which began with the publication of the first Merck Manual in 1899.

Registered users can simply download the application to their iPhone® or iPod touch® and log in with their username and password for MerckMedicus™. For more information on the application or to see a full list of devices compatible with MerckMedicus, click here.

PLEASE NOTE: This application is for U.S. healthcare professionals who are registered users of MerckMedicus. Please visit www.merckmedicus.com to create a username and password, which are required to download content to this application.

ONCOmmunity News for iPhone

ONCOmmunity.org is now available on the iPhone and iPod Touch!

* Read the latest research abstracts on your iPhone.
* Participate in ONCOmmunity discussions. Ask questions of your peers.
* Save abstracts for later review.
* Once downloaded, you can read abstracts offline.
* Search our entire research library.
* Works with iPhone and iPod Touch (iOS4 tested).

Click here for more information.