Living in today’s world is much more interesting than it was 30 years ago. With the advent of new technologies even living five years ago is much different. There has been a gigantic leap forward in patient health care and life saving technologies. Let’s take a look at some of these being used today.

AliveCor Device

Every heart patient knows about an Electrocardiogram and how it measures electrical and muscular activity in the heart. This machine is often used to determine if a patient is having a heart attack. The cumbersome piece of equipment, and the technician attached to it, is now a thing of the past in some hospitals. Nowadays, the physician can use the AliveCor iPhone ECG and get the same results. The AliveCor is much smaller, easier to handle, and is carried around in the physicianÕs pocket. Due to the much smaller size itÕs used as needed and physicians no longer have to wait for a technician to be free. Imagine, the same clinical quality, as the larger machines, in an iPhone 4 case. For every cardiac patient out there, this should help bring a sigh of relief as these much smaller units received FDA approval for use in the USA on December 7, 2012.

Tablets

Who remembers the days of the physician’s clipboards hanging on the end of the hospital bed? Well, very soon many hospitals will have everything they need to know about a patientÕs health on the iPad that the doctor will be carrying around under their arm. The information on the tablet can include everything from status, to emergency medical records and even monitoring the patient if needed. Now, that’s pretty efficient and increases the accuracy of the patient getting needed meds and care, with a minimum of mistakes being made. That alone should help raise the level of a patients health.

Smartphone Apps

Another interesting iPhone app being used by physicians in other countries is the Phillips Vital Signs Camera. This application monitors everything from a patient’s heart and respiratory rates to their body temperature and even their blood pressure. This application could take patient triage to a whole new level once this app has been approved for use in this country.

The next iPhone app that is turning heads is something that researchers at UC Davis’ Center for Biophotonics have done with a program called iMicroscope. They’ve modified the iPhone so that the camera lens on the phone works as a medical-quality microscope. Currently, this lens is only able to examine blood cells with its 1.5 microns resolution, but it certainly paves the way for so much more in this arena. The potential for this app and modification is very far reaching when it comes to treating patients on the go.

The company Airstrip Technologies is making waves with its Airstrip Patient Monitoring app. Hospitals who have this technology available are putting vital information about patients into the hands of their doctors. With this app, a treating physician can monitor and get updates on vital signs, lab reports, waveforms and other critical data. Airstrip Technologies has also designed similar types of apps for Cardiologists and Obstetricians to use in their practices. This company is definitely putting technology into the hands of physicians in order to save lives.

So here we have some very innovative companies and the technology of the tablets and smartphones being put to good use. Physicians and hospitals will be better able to serve the patients and minimize mistakes as well as be on top of the patientsÕ needs in record time. So now more doctors can cut through some of the more time consuming tasks and cut to the chase of improving patient care and even saving patientsÕ lives through the use of new technologies.

Author Bio: William Stevens is a writer who designs informative articles in the field of technology. This article describes new technologies that are saving lives and aims to encourage further study with an Occupational Safety and Health Degree.