The iPhone and the NMT

[Kevin Palmer]

Phones, PDA's and other handhelds have been used in the medical industry for years. However, with the introduction of the iPhone and the associated "App Store" the usability of these devices has been drastically improved. As a device, the iPhone is a revolution in mobile computing. It has essentially put the world into the palm of your hand. Everything from Wikipanion to Osirix is but a click away. There are many applications that an NMT or even an NMT student might find useful. Here is a list of some of my top picks as well as some to steer clear of. Please respond with your own picks as well!

For Professionals

OsiriX ($19.99) for the iPhone works in combination with OsiriX for Mac. You can transfer images and view/manipulate them directly on the iPhone. It can display ultrasound, CT scanner, MRI, PET, etc. in their native standard DICOM format. While I haven't purchased it yet (I'm still preparing to enter an NMT program) it has excellent reviews in the App Store and the YouTube video of it in use is very impressive. I can't wait until I get to a point in my training where it becomes useful for me. Another interesting competitor app pending FDA approval is MIMvista Mobile. Many are waiting to see if this app will dethrone Osirix as the multi-modality viewing app of choice. You can see a preview of the app about midway through the video here.

Skyscape (FREE) is offering Outlines in Clinical Medicine®, Archimedes™ - Medical Calculator, RxDrugs™: Drug Dosing Tool and MedAlert™ for free with the download of their iPhone App. This is a great application that combines a lot of other tools into one. Bets of all, it's free!

ReachMD CME (FREE) is the first CME application ever launched for Apple that allow users to listen to all ReachMD Continuing Medical Education content, get regular updates on new Continuing Medical Education content and take Continuing Medical Education tests for credit all from their iPhone or iTouch.

For Students

Netter's Anatomy Flash Cards ($39.99) for the iPhone are a perfect solution for students who don't want to carry around a 6lb set of physical cards. Instantly find what you need by clicking it in the index. Pinch to zoom in and out on the gorgeous color illustrations. Annotated illustrations allow you to see the details of the part you are viewing. Use quiz mode to see how much you have learned. Check out a preview video here. I'll be purchasing this app very soon for my Anatomy & Physiology classes. Other flash cards they offer are Musculoskeletal, Advanced Head & Neck, Histology and Neuroscience.

Merge Mobile (FREE) is an example of the potential the iPhone has as a mobile imaging device. It essentially acts as a mobile PACS system. This version which they are calling their "lite" version loads anonymized data from their server. It is also very slow and buggy. However it's free. So go ahead and try it out. It's a great way to learn about structures through real world data. OsiriX blows this away if you don't mind paying for it.

For Professionals and Students

Wikipanion (FREE) gives you the power of Wikipedia in the palm of your hand. No need to connect to the web. This is perfect if you have an iPod Touch instead of an iPhone. Instantly look up details on just about anything you can imagine. They also have a "Plus" version which costs $4.99 and adds additional functionality to the software.

Eponyms ($1.99 or FREE) brings the huge eponym database from Andrew J. Yee (http://www.eponyms.net/) to your iPhone or iPod touch. The database currently contains more than 1600 medical eponyms and growing. There are two versions, which are identical down to the code. The regular (professional) version is $1.99 and the Student Edition is free.

Don't Buy!

Blue Radiography ($0.99) is very similar to the other apps Jose Barrientos has written. Lacking in detail and information. Don't waste your time with this or any other apps he has written.


Encyclopedia The Human Body ($2.99) is another of Jose Barrientos' poorly done applications. Just steer clear of anything he has written.