Doctors are taking to iPhone, BlackBerry and smartphone apps. According
to the MDsearch.com Smartphone Survey, 53% of physician respondents own
a smartphone and 63% of those physicians are using mobile medical
applications.
They found that drug reference apps (like Epocrates) were cited most
often in their study, while medical calculators, clinical resource apps, CME apps, medical
dictionary apps, and apps for patient scheduling were also used. A smaller number are
also using mobile applications for electronic health records and
e-prescribing.
Doctors don't all feel comfortable consulting their
smartphones during patient visits. Only 20% of the physicians who own
smartphones say they frequently consult the device during patient
visits. Another 37% report that they occasionally consult their
smartphones while with patients.
Other facts MDsearch.com Smartphone Survey:
- Among MDsearch physicians who own smartphones, there are twice as many iPhone users as Blackberry users.
- Along with smartphones and cell phones, physicians are using the following gadgets:
- 60% of respondents use a GPS system.
- 48% own an iPod or iPod Touch.
- 38% use a pager.
- 34% use a PDA.
- 7% own a Kindle..
- The
percentage of respondents who own smartphones (53%) exactly mirrors the
percentage who work in facilities or practices with Electronic Health
Records (53%).
WebMD offers their Medscape iPhone Program.