Highlights of the important and interesting in the world of healthcare.
Alphabet (Google)
Weekly Wireless Roundup: LifeBot develops tablet for pre-hospital patient care
LifeBot develops tablet for prehospital patient care: LifeBot LLC implemented the HP Slate 500 as an in-ambulance computer and universal communication device. The tablet runs Windows 7 and can transmit live patient data to the receiving hospital via the DREAMS software, which was developed with U.S. Army Materiel Command, Texas A&M and UTHealth Science Center at Houston, according to the company.
Weekly Wireless Roundup: iPhone app alerts public when CPR needed nearby
iPhone app alerts public when CPR needed nearby: The San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District of California launched a location-aware Apple Inc. (NSDQ:AAPL) iPhone application that is designed to alert citizens in the vicinity of an individual experiencing sudden cardiac arrest of the need for CPR. Application users who have indicated they are trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation can now be notified if someone nearby is having a cardiac emergency.
Google CEO Eric Schmidt: Make health IT systems interoperable
For Google Inc. (NSDQ:GOOG) CEO Eric Schmidt, fixing healthcare is a matter of scale.
The chief executive of the Mountain View, Calif.-based company, which has made of business out of attempting to amass all information that’s available digitally, told an audience at the JPMorgan (NYSE:JPM) Healthcare Conference that "the biggest and easiest thing to do" to improve patient outcomes is to make healthcare IT systems interoperable.
Navigate the body with Google
The creative folks at Google Labs (NSDQ:GOOG) have introduced a 3D body browser, which is essentially a Google Earth for the human body. It supports 3D rotation, zoom, and exploring the nervous system, circulatory system, musculoskeletal system, and organs.
The application, simple called Google Body , requires a browser that supports WebGL, a cross-platform, royalty-free API used to create 3D graphics in a Web browser.
Weekly Wireless Roundup: Sprint and BodyMedia team up to track health
Sprint and BodyMedia team up to track health: Sprint (NYSE:S) is partnering with Pittsburgh, Pa.-based BodyMedia to provide real-time connectivity between BodyMedia’s personal monitoring wristbands and Sprint’s smartphones. Similar to the popular FitBit, BodyMedia’s wristband tracks activity levels which are then stored and analyzed on a phone.
Weekly Wireless Roundup: NEJM iPhone app tests docs’ diagnosis skills
NEJM iPhone app tests docs’ diagnosis skills: The New England Journal of Medicine released its popular Image Challenge, a quiz testing healthcare providers’ ability to diagnose conditions based on photos, for Apple’s (NSDQ:AAPL) iPhone/iPad platform. The app’s features include:
Weekly Wireless Roundup: Physicians prescribe pills with iPrescribe on iPhone
Physicians prescribe pills with iPrescribe on iPhone: iApp Creative released an update to its iPrescribe app for Apple Inc. (NSDQ:AAPL) iPhones and iPads. The tool makes it intuitive and faster to prescribe doctors favorite pills to their favorite patients.
MedGadget’s MedTech Monday: Rat brain cells control robot
Rat brain cells control robot: MedGadget reported on this technology two years ago, but the research has advanced quite a bit and it is time for an update. Researchers from the University of Reading made a robot that is controlled by brain cells extracted from rats. The cells are cultured and connected to the control circuit. The cells are alive and able to form new connections on-the-go. Where last time the robot moved around slowly in a wooden box without obstacles, now they move around freely on the floor at a much faster pace.
Weekly Wireless Roundup: Medical device companies arming their sales forces with iPads
Medical device companies arming their sales forces with iPads: MedGadget contributors noticed at RSNA that almost all of the roving packs of salespeople were equipped with Apple Inc. (NSDQ:AAPL) iPads to give spontaneous PowerPoint presentations, which they would at a moment’s provocation. And now The Wall Street Journal has written about it, so apparently this is a real thing.
Weekly Wireless Roundup: Android phones become heart rate monitors with new app
Andoid phones become heart rate monitors with new app: The developers of Google (NSDQ:GOOG) Android app Instant Heart Rate claim that they can use your phone’s camera to measure your heart rate. When a user places their index finger over the camera lens, the app will be able to detect slight changes in skin color as oxygenated blood passes through with each heart beat, according to the app’s developers.