iPhone taken up by UK medical school for fieldwork

By Salina Christmas

The iPhone and its apps might still have some way to go to be formally acknowledged as a ‘medical device’ by the US FDA and the European Notified Bodies (NB), but the Apple device is quickly gaining favour amongst the younger generation of healthcare practitioners.

The iPhone is soon to be deployed for use by students of medicine at Leeds University, UK, and Swedish firm Medhand, the supplier of Medical References for mobile platforms, has been selected to supply mobile medical resources for the Mobile Medical Learning Programme at the university.

The project will see iPhone 3GS 16GB devices loaned to 520 fourth-and fifth-year medical students who will be spending much of their time off-campus at hospitals, GP surgeries and community health clinics.

The smartphones will be pre-loaded with a range of dedicated apps that will let students record notes on interesting cases whilst still on the wards, and test their knowledge of procedures or protocols they have just observed. Copies of key medical textbooks and reference works, including up-to-date guidelines on administering prescription drugs, will also be distributed as iPhone apps. A range of other relevant medical apps that can be downloaded free-of-charge or purchased will be provided too.

“No other UK medical school is taking advantage of the virtual learning environment to such an extent,” said Professor Trudie Roberts, Professor of Medical Education at the University of Leeds. “It is vitally important that medical students continue to develop their skills and record their progress when they are in practice, as well as when they are on campus. Mobile phone technology means that students can do this quickly and easily, wherever they happen to be working.”

Magnus Stuart, CEO of MedHand, said there isn’t a medical student who doesn’t prefer the MedHand iPhone application.

The company previously won a three-year contract to furnish medical students at the Brighton and Sussex Medical School with the medical reference library Dr Companion.

First published on Clinica