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| Image Source: mashable.com |
Smartphones have become ubiquitous in today’s society with most people relying on their mobile devices to always stay connected and online. What if, however, these devices could be used for so much more? What if they became part of the tools that doctors have in order to monitor their patients and provide treatments for some conditions?
Advancements in medicine and technology may soon make this thought a reality. Already there are many applications being developed to turn smartphones into devices that can help monitor a person’s vital signs.
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| Image Source: nbcnews.com |
In envisioning the future of medicine, some experts argue that decentralization is the way into the future. People may soon have gadgets at their disposal to check and monitor their health and send the data to their doctors easily. This setup will require less patient visits to medical centers for routine checkups while vastly improving the delivery of care.
Meanwhile, many apps are now being developed for diagnosis and treatment of certain health conditions. For example, there are apps that monitor the subtle hints in the user’s voice during everyday phone conversations to detect for early signs of mood changes. This type of program has applications in monitoring the conditions of patients with bipolar disorder.
Another app that is currently being developed is a smartphone-connected device that will deliver electrical stimulation to the nerves in a person’s head to help improve mood. A possible application for such a device would be to help a person calm down and relax.
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| Image Source: articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com |
Riyesh R. Menon is a research and development engineer for a medical device company in New York. For more articles on biomedical engineering applications, visit this Google+ page.
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