There's an App for that?

A new approval granted by the FDA makes the Mobile MIM app one of the first to be cleared for diagnostic purposes. The app allows physicians to examine scans and to make diagnoses based on MRIs, computed tomography, and other technologies when they are away from their workstations. Doctors who have used it also like that they can share scan with fellow physicians so easily.

To be approved by the FDA, this app was in consideration for 2 1/2 years. One of the problems designers ran into was the condition of lighting where the scans were being viewed as they are traditionally view in low light. The app took this suggestion into consideration and the user must tap a series of hard to perceive rectangles to show the app they are not in a harsh light and they can see screen acuities.

The app is free to download; there is one version for the patient and one for the doctor. Each set of scans to be uploaded costs $1 and it is the same price to send to another physician. Viewing on an iPad will cost a little extra, bumping the cost up to $2 but many doctors say the simplicity of viewing the scans easily with the patient is worth it.

The FDA anticipates more apps being created for the medical community and is developing guidelines for such cases now. It held a public workshop in September for the public to give feedback. Although the process of approving these apps is a lengthy one, the prospect of more user friendly interfaces is an exciting one.

I think this is an awesome application of technology that many people can access, without being a certified in the medical field, and be more involved with their own health. It's empowering for patients and easier for medical professionals for the patients to be more involved in their own care.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/16/business/medical-apps-to-assist-with-diagnoses-cleared-by-fda.html