Could the cell phone succeed where grand plans for regional health information organizations (RHIOs) so far have failed? Could it be the format that convinces millions of consumers to adopt and maintain personal health records (PHRs) after smart cards, USB drives, and Web sites have elicited a profound yawn from the public? The Medical Records Institute thinks so.

Quoted: "By itself, I think it' s going to be the biggest change in the last 10 years," chief executive C. Peter Waegemann said before the opening of Towards the Electronic Patient Record (TEPR), the Boston-based organization' s annual conference.

Waegemann unveiled the TEPR Cell Phone Project, an eight-month effort to prove the worth of the humble handset as a conduit of interoperability in health care.

Quoted: "In the next year, I believe more than 10 million patients will have a PHR on cell phones, safe and secure," Waegemann boldly forecast. " This by itself could be a major revolution."

Using the Continuity of Care Record (CCR) standard, originally championed by the Medical Records Institute (MRI) and now recognized by ASTM International, the Cell Phone Project will attempt to demonstrate how consumers can use their phones to transfer confidential medical and insurance data between health care providers, with access controlled only by patients themselves.

Quoted: Epocrates, a leading drug-reference database vendor, is racing to develop a new iPhone application for medical professions. Kirk Loevner, chairman and CEO of Epocrates, says the “killer ap” is set to be released shortly after Apple’s iPhone 2 tools are made available in June. Epocrates is one of the few companies working with Apple to develop third-party software for the iPhone. “We have a good number of resources devoted to moving our content to the iPhone,” says Loevner. “The technology and the software in the iPhone will allow us to create new and innovative applications that help improve patient safety and provide health care professionals with an unsurpassed user experience.” Loevner spoke with Digital HealthCare & Productivity about the development of its clinical software products for the iPhone operating system. DHP: Why Epocrates on the iPhone? Loevner: The iPhone is like a small computer now as opposed to a PDA, and it will allow us to develop more powerful applications in a way that’s easier for physicians to download and use. Today, you can access an application through the Safari browers, but it’s limiting. What Apple announced about a month ago is native development, where the application actually resides on device itself as opposed to accessing the application through the browser. That’s important, particularly in a hospital or medical setting, because often you don’t have Internet access, and when you have an important application, the user needs to know that it will always be resident on the device—that he doesn’t need Internet to access the content. It’s also faster when the application is native than when you try to access it through a browser. You can also do more. With the browser, you’re limited with user actions, but with native application, and all the gesture commands with the Apple, you can directly manipulate objects on the device, and you can’t do that with a browser-based application, which is all page-based.

Quoted: Kontron has announced a lightweight panel PC for the medical industry, designed to run Windows XP Embedded or Windows CE. The MediClient features fanless operation and low power consumption, making it compatible with battery-driven applications such as mobile nursing stations.

Quoted: Physicians said they prefer to use a full-size terminal and keyboard rather than a mobile device for managing patient data, a Spyglass Consulting Group study found. Many participants also cited concerns about transferring infections by using the devices and that the devices could interfere with the patient-physician relationship.

Quoted: Two teams of researchers are using funding from the National Institutes of Health to test whether cell phone applications can help individuals manage their diets. In one study, participants send pictures of their food to nutritionists for analysis.

Quoted: Increasingly sophisticated mobile technology means that doctors can carry vast drug reference guides, patient charts and even full textbooks in the palms of their hands.

A mobile phone that will measure patients’ vital signs and will deliver the results straight to GPs is being developed by academics at Leeds University.

Blood pressure, heart rate, blood glucose levels and many other physiological parameters are monitored by an individual, using a Bluetooth connection to their mobile phone or another mobile device, such as a PDA or a special 'bracelet' which reads and stores the data. This is uploaded to a remote server, where the general practitioner, specialist nurse of consultant is able to view the data.

Quoted: Chronic disease of all types - obesity, diabetes, asthma, cardiovascular illness and so are on- are on the increase, especially as Western populations age. Research has shown that clinical outcomes and patient well being are significantly enhanced by self management. Regular measurement of vital signs and other key parameters mean that diet, exercise or medication can be controlled...This shift in emphasis for healthy lifestyle management from the clinical professional to the individual is also evident in the growth of interest in consumer healthcare products.

Quoted: Everything about MedTab was designed for its exclusive medical audience. The large, 41.25 square-inch E-Ink (electronic ink) display lets doctors view detailed medical charts with greater ease than on normal-sized PDAs. Yet, at 0.5 inches thick and weighing 12 ounces, the device is "small and light enough to carry in a lab coat pocket," according to the company. Additionally, its built-in rechargeable battery lasts for a whole medical shift (8- 12 hours) without recharging. The splash-resistant tablet can even be disinfected.