Psychoanalysis of a nation through Twitter: A team from Northeastern University and Harvard Medical School is analyzing words used in tweets by Americans in an attempt to gauge the public mood around the country. They discovered that Twitter users on the West Coast seem to be quite a bit jollier than those on the East Coast. It is not clear whether the data was collected during the summer or winter months and accordingly adjusted, for that surely would affect the readings.
Elsevier’s Procedures Consult app provides videos and illustrations via smartphones: Elsevier, perhaps best known as a publisher of scientific and medical works, announced today the launch of its Procedures Consult Mobile smartphone application. The app can be installed directly on an iPhone or accessed through a browser on any other web-enabled smartphone, provides videos and information about medical procedures that doctors can review before performing a procedure.
Fujitsu tests electronic paper-based waiting room guide: Patients spend a lot of time waiting in the waiting room before they can see a doctor. Fujitsu came up with a way for them to spend their time better. It launched an electronic paper-based outpatient guidance solution that informs patients of their waiting time and alerts them when it’s their turn. The system’s electronic card holder uses color e-paper for its display, allowing the device to run on a single charge for a whole week. Fujitsu tested the device on 400 patients in its own hospital in Kawasaki City. They reported having “a favorable impression.”
Study: MD’s smartphone adoption exploding, but mobile systems lack standardization: The Spyglass consulting group published a white paper that claims that adoption of smartphones among physicians is extremely high. Of the 100 physicians interviewed for the study, 94 had or used smartphones.
The study also found that:
- Physicians experienced difficulties connecting with colleagues
- Physicians were overwhelmed by the volume of incoming communications
- Physicians lack a standardized processes to coordinate patient care
- Physician smartphone adoption is growing significantly
With only 100 physicians interviewed, specific conclusions about the entire population of US physicians might be reaching a bit far. However, as with pagers in the 80s, docs are no doubt leading the way in this field, which is why there is such a robust marketplace for medical reference apps such as Epocrates, Skyscape’s PDR, and Unbound Medicine.
A weekly roundup of new developments in wireless medical technology and mHealth, by MedGadget.com.